Ebony Snow
by Varaeli
Summary: Chapter 15 is up. DaisukexDark Synopsis: A sick-ridden child finds the feather that may change his life forever. Please read, review, follow, and favorite. Tell me what you think. I would like to get people's input. It's greatly appreciated.
1. On Shadowy Wings

I don't own anything of D N Angel. Although I wish that I could...sobs

This is a fic that I will be slowly working on, hopefully it will turn out alright.

.oEbony Snowo.

Chapter One: On Shadowy Wings

It was snowing strong during the night. A little white house on the end of Rivers St. felt the blow of several gusts of wind against its thinly constructed walls. Within its confines was a small child at the age of ten huddled within the bedsheets inside a small bedroom that creek loudly and was very cold from the bitter weather that was stirring outside. Small little gasps and whimpers can be heard from under the blankets. The child let out a sneeze as a head lifted off the bed and the sheets pulled off enough for the child to breathe fresh cold air before succumbing to the sheets once more. Spiky red locks were sticking to the sides of the child's face as he panted, covering his small mouth as the child coughed hoarsely.

"H-Hnn...m-my throat hurts..." the child wheezed as he slowly moved his legs over to the side of the bed. He pulled himself up slowly, keeping balanced by using one of the bedposts to keep him upright. The child wiped his forehead with a sleeve of his tattered pajamas, breathing weakly.

The small redhead moved slowly towards the door of his room as another wave of coughs came over him. His legs began to waver as he grabbed the doorknob to keep him on two feet. He opened the door slowly and moved into the cold hallway of his drafty house to the bathroom, catching his breath.

'M-Momma's not going like this if she f-finds me--' he thought as he coughed loudly, covering his face with a towel to muffle the noise. 'She might worry herself to death...'

He picked up his stepping stool and moved it to a tall sink. Even though he was ten, he was rather short and frail for his age. He climbed up and balanced himself as he reached for his glass. He could feel the room shake slightly as a large gust of wind hit, making it as though the wind was going to rip the little creaking house right off its foundation. The boy shivered in fear, looking out the window, seeing only white.

'Snow...' he thought as he got a small glass of water, drinking it down. "Much better." he whispered, feeling the burning in his throat ebb away slowly. 'Outside may look scary, but the snow still is pretty when it's laying on the ground.'

The child pushed the stool towards the window he was looking at and stared out of it. He could feel the cool air through some of the cracks around the glass, his breath can be seen as small puffs of steam. Outside was a shield of white, blocking away the night in a barrier of snow around the house. The boy seemed to be in awe as he watched some of the snowflakes fly past the glass. His thin, pale hand touched the cold glass, the warmth of his palm now having an aura of light fog that stuck around his hand, not disappearing because of the cold weather. The boy smiled, removing his hand.

'It's so cold, but it's so pretty to watch. It's so...free.' he thought, blinking softly.

He was about to step off his stool when something caught his eye through the blanket of white. He turned and looked at the windowsill. He saw something caught on the outside sill, flailing wildly as it was stuck on the broken notch of wood. The boy looked at the small object in surprise, tilting his head as he looked at it quietly.

"A...feather?" he asked to himself. Sure enough, it was a purple and black feather that he saw. He had seen feathers from the birds in the neighborhood, but he had never seen one of that color before.

He looked around the window, but couldn't find a way to reach the feather, nor was it close to ground for his parents to get it for him the next day. But he shrugged and climbed off his stool, putting it back into its place before rinsing out his glass. He put the glass away and stepped back into the hallway, shivering as he went. He was about to open his bedroom door as he heard something above him. At first he though that it was the wind again, but it was louder and had a rhythm to it. The child moved quietly, looking up at the ceiling.

The boy got to his bed and crawled back inside of his sheets, shivering again. 'That's not Santa...it's too late for Santa to come. Christmas had already happened." he muttered, hearing another thump, and something scraping on the roof. The child's heart was beating quickly and his breath was short, making him cough and sneeze again. The noises above them had stopped after a short period, causing the redhead to look around the room as he heard the wind on its own again. He sat up and looked out his window in his own room, wondering what the sounds were before. He sneezed and huddled within his blankets, laying down slowly and closed his eyes, trying to get back to sleep before sunrise.

A young man outside in the middle of the storm was standing on a roof of a small house, clutching his side as the scent of blood filled his nostrils, pulling his coat tighter around him. His purple locks whipped around him as he tried to look around for something in the storm. He folded what was left of his wings behind him, the violet and ebony hue stained with the crimson and stench of blood.

"What's the matter, Mousy? Having a hard time?" ca me a voice, cutting through the storm like a knife, causing the man to stir, looking behind him. The purple haired man cursed under his breath, opening his wings as he let out a yelp, more feathers flying off of his wings and into the blizzard. All he could see was a blast of light from a spell coming towards him at an alarming rate. He dodged it barely as a stabbing pain from his wounded side stung him deeply, causing him to fall on one knee.

The voice from before chuckled. "You're pathetic, Dark. You can't even stand up anymore you're that weak." Another blast came for the young man from another direction, causing the winged man to falter and slip off the roof and onto the snow on the ground beneath him. The winged man coughed up blood and air as he had impact, closing his eyes and groaning.

The man didn't have enough energy to open his eyes as he felt someone reach for his person and take something from him. Another chuckle can be heard.

"I will just let you die in a frozen bed. Enjoy the comforts of death, old friend" the voice said. The wounded man could hear the crunching of footsteps walking away from him as his breathing slowed.

'So...this it my time to die is it? What a sorry way to go...I am sorry that I couldn't save it...'

The small redhead's eyes snapped open as he heard a crashing sound coming from outside the house, he sat up and coughed again as he looked around, wondering if it was his imagination. He slipped out of bed for the second time, grabbing a blanket this time and wrapped it around him as he slowly crept back into the hallway and moved down the stairs, his palms squeaking on the railing as he went down each step. He tried to be silent as he could as he went into the kitchen. He looked out one of the large windows to find the snow was getting lighter, and able to see the streetlights in front of the house. He also spotted something new that was in his front lawn; a blackened mound that was sticking out of the snow. The snow was packing in around the strange object and he was unsure of what it was.

'Momma...maybe I should get mom...' he thought as he moved towards the front door, peeking at the strange object. As he stared at it he jumped as he saw the object move, seeing that it was a man face through the snow.

"Momma! Momma!" he shouted, coughing loudly as he quickly moved to the foot of the stairs, holding his chest.

The sound of footfalls can be heard as a young woman with short light brown hair comes flying from her bedroom, spotting the child from the top. Her face was pale as she saw her son get that far from his bed as she quickly moved down the stairs, scooping the child up in her arms.

"Daisuke!" she said with a stern but soft voice, hugging her little one. "How did you get out of bed?! You're very sick sweetie...you should be resting."

The redhead looked up at his mother, trying to say what he needed to say. "M-Momma...there's someone outside."

"What did you say, huney?"she asked, loosening her grip on her child. "There wouldn't be anyone out this late. And in a storm like this."

"But there is someone, mommy."he said, looking outside He pushed himself out of his mothers grasp long enough to go to the window and point outside.

His mother stood up, looking outside. She got her long coat and wrapped it around herself and moved to the door. "Then I will go see quickly. You stay inside and watch the window. If something happens...you know the number for emergencies."

Daisuke looked at his mother and gave him a nod and a small smile, curling up tighter in his blanket. His mother opened the door as a gust of wind flooded the entryway as she went outside, closing the door and walked slowly down the path of the house. She tightened the coat around her body as she looked around. Daisuke continued to watch as the snow fell around his mother. He saw her kneel to where he saw the man in the snow, and then stand up again, as if nothing was there. His eyes went wide, looking around where he saw the dark figure and his mother returning to the front door. She opened it quickly and let out a sharp breath.

"My goodness it's cold." she said, shivering as she looked down at her son, kneeling in front of Daisuke. "I didn't find anything sweetie. Only this." she said, pulling out a long purple and black feather, placing it gently in his hands. "You must've seen a bird out in the storm, it sometimes happens huney."

"B-But momma...I thought I saw--"

Daisuke's mother placed her hand on his soft spikes. "You're probably just really tired and your eyes were playing tricks on you. We will look together tomorrow, okay sweetie? Hopefully the birdie got back into its nest." She kissed his forehead, taking off her coat and scooped Daisuke up in her arms again to put him back to bed. "Now it's time for this little sick one to go to sleep. He needs to get better." she said, giving him a gentle smile as they ascended up the stairs.

Daisuke closed his eyes, hanging onto the feather softly in his hands. She curled up in his mothers arms, nuzzling her shoulder as he was beginning to doze off, letting out a soft sneeze and a cough and fell asleep before making it to his bedroom. His mother placed him back into his bed, tucking him back in and put the feather she found for him on a small table, continuing to look at her son.

"So frail, yet strong enough to get up to help something in need" she whispered softly, touching his warm cheek. "My tiny little angel, always out to help everything around him."

Daisuke let out a soft groan and turned over, curling up as she stood up, walking back to the door. "Sleep well, my little angel. Please get better for Momma" she whispered, closing the door and walking back to her room.

The feather on the table rested on the table, glowing softly with a violet light as a silhouette formed in the shadows of the room. The shadow looked at the boy sleeping on the bed, narrowing its eyes.

"An angel...huh."

.o End of Chapter One o.


	2. Deal With the Devil?

I don't own D N Angel, but Oh do I WISH!

Anyway, thanks for the reviews everyone! I am glad to see that there are people reading my work again and me trying to actually write again. -; I know I have grammar trouble, but I am working on it. So please, be gentle with this chapter.

Anyway, here goes!

Chapter Two

Deal with the Devil?

Daisuke shielded his eyes as beams of sunlight shone through the snow that covered up his window, he turned slowly in his bed. He groaned softly as he felt his mind begin to wake up when his body wanted to sleep a few more hours more. The small redhead turned over in his bed a couple more times before sitting up and yawning. He heard his mothers footsteps in the hallway, stopping in front of his closed door.

"M-Momma? Is that you?" Daisuke called out, watching the door open softly and his mother's head popped through the opening with a big grin on her face.

"Good Morning Daisuke!" she said happily, slowly pushing the door open more. She carried a tray of what looked like a small bowl of soup and a glass of juice. "I brought you something to eat this morning."

Daisuke groaned softly. "Momma, I-I can get up on m-my own. I got down to the kitchen last night." he whined softly, putting his hands in his lap.

"I know, sweetheart. But I want to make sure you had something hearty to eat early to really boost your energy." she said, placing the tray in front of him, steam from the soup wafting in the cold air. "Then you can get up and walk around as much as you want around your room when you feel up to it."

Daisuke put on a smile, looking at the watery soup. "Thanks Momma," he said, beginning to eat quietly. 'There's not much left...she hasn't been able to get to the store without leaving me alone.'

His mother ruffled his spiky locks, smiling as she watched her son eat. 'It's good that he can get up and move around now...but he needs his rest.' she giggled happily as she kissed his cheek. "Finish your meal and stay in bed. I will be downstairs cleaning out the front pathway. I think we're snowed in until someone comes with a truck."

"Okay Momma!" Daisuke said cheerfully, continuing to eat. 'The soup...it's mostly broth. Oh Momma, I am sorry for being so sick.' He tried his best to keep a happy demeanor while his mother was leaving, trying to be strong for her as best as he could. His smile dropped as he heard the door shut, quietly finishing the rest of his meal.

He pushed the tray to the edge of the bed and sat there in silence, feeling the soup warm him up inside to keep the cold away for a few moments. The boy looked around, seeing only what he could with the beams of light piercing through the snow of his window. There wasn't much to be said about his room; only that there was a small chest in the corner and a small closet to hold what little he had. Although, he didn't mind it much that they were poor, as long as he had his mother he was fine. The only downside was that he was slowly becoming ill and had to be shut inside, until he was able enough to return.

'I wonder if Miss Takako will call Momma about my homework.' Daisuke thought, sighing softly. 'I miss school so much.'

Daisuke did indeed go to school, but thanks to him being sick and weak he would collapse halfway through the day and be sent home. The school district thought it would be best for Daisuke to stay home until he was well enough to return. He felt bad because he would miss his teacher because she was always very nice to him, which made the others in his class have a vendetta against the child, even though he was smaller and weaker.

"I have to be strong for Momma. I can get better. Then I can help Momma." he said, bawling his small hands and curled up underneath his sheets, coughing a little. "Daisuke will get better for Momma."

Another fury of sneezing and coughing went through the redhead, weakening the child further. Daisuke felt tired as he rolled over slowly, spotting the feather his mother had brought him the night before. The boy smiled softly.

"Momma may say that I am her angel, but I know that I saw one last night. I know I did." he muttered, reaching out to touch the feather.

He felt something in the back of his mind made his hand stop, feeling weak as his hand dropped, missing the feather completely. "I can't reach it, I-I'm so sleepy." he said, letting out a wheezed yawn, his eyes now half-lidded.

As if in response, the feather began to radiate with a violet light, the light rising and almost reached out towards the boy. The child opened his eyes, noticing the aura and tried to move away from the feather to the other side of the bed.

A soft voice echoed through the room, which made the child whimper. "U-Uhn...h...hey...k-kid."

Daisuke's eyes went wide, staring at the feather. 'I-Is that thing alive??' "W-Who are you?? What are you? A-Are you an...a-angel?"

The voice chuckled through the feather, the aura faltering. "N...N-Not exactly." the voice muttered. "Although...I could've been one last night...if you hadn't have found me."

"M-Me?" the child whispered, his heart pounding in his chest.

The aura expanded and moved like smoke, lingering in the air and then moved towards Daisuke. The child moved an inch before letting out a wheeze, holding his chest, making the smoke reel back.

"Hey kid, take it easy." the voice said as the smoke moved away from the boy. "Didn't mean to scare you. Relax."

The wheezing was silent after Daisuke calmed down a little, his small body shaking like a leaf. "W-What do you w-want to do with me?"

"I need your help, kid."

Daisuke looked at the violet smoke, tilting his head. "M-My help?"

"Yes. I need a place to stay until I have enough energy to return to normal. I...had a little accident the other night and now I am stuck like this until further notice. You think you can hide me here for awhile kiddo?"

"U-Uhm...I-I dunno..." the child said, unable to think straight with some smoke talking to him. "W-We don't have much to give you and I don't know where Momma with think..."

The voice chuckled again. "You leave that to me. I can hide easily." a pale hand seem to appear through the smoke, reaching out to Daisuke. "All I need from you, is your hand."

Daisuke looked at his hand, his palm was sweaty and his hand was shaking. "W-What will that do?" he asked, moving his hand towards the one in the smoke, his heart pounding harder.

The floating hand took Daisuke's, the smoke and the hand disappearing from sight. The small boy could feel himself grow cold as he held his chest, groaning.

"Uhn...w-what...no..." Daisuke said as his head became heavy, his vision clouding over. The only thing he could make out was a pair of violet eyes in front of him in the darkness, watching him. "S-Stop..."

The voice hushed him, not echoing anymore as a dark figure walked into the light, lifting the frail child properly on the bed and pulled the bedsheets on top of the boy. Daisuke's eyes closed slowly as the figures glowing violet eyes looked down at the boy, a smile playing on his lips.

"It's alright little one." the dark figure said. "Your pain will be over soon." The figure picked up the feather, watching it disappear between his fingers.

"It's time that this little angel will grow some wings..."

.oFino.

CLIFFHANGER! Sorry to leave you all like this. But I don't want to spoil anything just yet. I hope you all like it.

-B452


	3. New Phases

Please folks...we all want it right? To be able to hold D N Angel in the palms of our hands and say that it's ours...?

BUT WE CAN'T DAMNIT!! IT'S NOT OURS!! WE CAN'T HAVE IT...NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE WANT IT!! (;.; ) ...me want so much...

Author's Note: I might be re-editing the first three chapters to try to flesh them out as much as I can and see if I can correct some of the awkward sentences that I accidentally put in there. I hope not to disappoint!

Anyway, the next segment in this DxD AU!

Chapter Three

New Phases

'Uhn...where am I? I can't feel anything.' Daisuke thought to himself. 'W-Wait...what? I-I...I can't move! I can't open my eyes! What's going on??'

Daisuke could feel as if the whole world was disappearing around him. What he could "see" was darkness, as if it was swallowing him up all around him. He couldn't understand what was going on, nor the reason why it was happening. He tried to move around, but it seemed that his body felt cold and heavy.

'A-Am I dying? Momma...Momma where are you?!' he screamed in his thoughts. He felt as if his body was getting more and more heavy as the darkness was consuming him.

"...suke..." echoed softly within the darkness. He could feel warmth on his skin, his body feeling warm.

Daisuke heard the voice, feeling like he could move towards it. 'H-Huh?? What was that? Hello? Is someone there?' His body felt hotter, slowly feeling like it was on fire.

"..aisuke."

'I-Itie...Please...don't leave me. Find me...I don't want to be like this...' He saw something in the distance of where he was. 'Two violet orbs...they are glowing. Are they...eyes?'

'There you are...angel.'

'W-Who...are you?'

"Daisuke!"

The redhead's eyes flew open, his sight was now blinded by white lights, making him squint. He moved his hand in front of him to block out the light.

"Wait..."He looked at his hand, realization kicking in slowly. 'I-I...I.can move again!'

He shot up out of bed to be embraced by a strong hug, his body being squeezed so much that he gasped, wondering who was holding him. He felt like his heart was beating a mile a minute.

His mothers voice flooded his ears. "Oh, my little Dai-tenshi! I am so glad that you're awake! I thought I was going to lose you!"

"M-Momma?" Daisuke squeaked, rendered immobile. "W-What's going on?" He looked around, realizing that he wasn't in his room anymore, but in a room completely bathed in white. "W-What is this place?"

"You're at the hospital." said a voice from behind his mother. Daisuke had just enough energy to turn his head to see a rather tall woman with long navy blue hair dressed in a doctor's garb. "You gave your mother quite a scare three days ago."

"T-Three days ago?!" repeated with a pale look on his face. "I was asleep for three days?!" he wrapped his arms quickly around his mother.

The female doctor smiled. "You went into a coma; but yes, you were asleep for three days." She picked up a folder on a small table, walking up to Daisuke and his mother while reading the file. "You've had quite the history of visits here at the hospital."

Daisuke's mother looked up at the doctor. "Yes. Dr. Musashi is our family doctor, but he's on vacation for a few more days. I'm sorry for the sudden appointment."

"It's alright by me, Ms. Niwa. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Dr. Sekaki, one of Dr. Musashi's interns. He told me about you Ms. Niwa, and about your son."

Daisuke hugged his mother, squeezing her in return. "I'm sorry Momma. I didn't mean to scare you."

Ms. Niwa smiled happily, releasing her hug. "It's alright Dai. I am just glad you're better."

Dr. Sekaki sat down, closing the file and setting it down beside her. "On that note Ms. Niwa. I had some tests on your son to see how he was doing. Do you mind...if we go and have a talk, in private?"

Daisuke's mother looked at the doctor, unsure of how to think as to what the woman was going to tell her. "A-Alright." she looked at Daisuke. "Sweetheart, do you mind if I go and talk to the doctor?"

Daisuke leaned back on the hospital bed, looking at Dr. Sekaki. "I'll be okay now, Momma." he said, looking at Ms. Niwa with a big smile. "I will stay right here." He giggled happily, looking like he is filled with energy.

Ms. Niwa ruffled his hair before getting up. Dr. Sekaki stood up as well. "This way Ms. Niwa." she said, leaving to her office. Ms. Niwa gave Daisuke a kiss on his forehead before following, leaving Daisuke alone.

The tiny redhead curled up on the bed, trying to think of what had happened and why he was asleep for so long. He closed his eyes, trying to get more rest while he waited for his mother to return. As he rested, he could feel his body floating in the air; the darkness from his nightmares emerging making his heartbeat quicken.

'N-No...' Daisuke said softly, his body shaking. 'I'm scared...'

Daisuke tried to reach around, trying to find his way through the darkness. He felt nothing as he tried to find a way to wake up. 'This is only a dream...it's not real.'

"It won't be long, kid." echoed in the back of his mind. "Just relax."

'That voice..it sounds familiar.' he felt like he could see something in his so-called dream- the glowing orbs in the distance piercing the darkness. 'It's you...from before. Are you...the voice I heard in my room?'

"Yes, I apologize for that. I needed some...insurance. You know, to make sure that you were able to survive the process."

'W-What are you talking about? I don't understand this at all.' Daisuke muttered. It was true, he was trying to comprehend what was going on with him.

The eyes looked at him, almost as if they were smiling at them. "You just rest and get better. Your body is taking some more time than I expected."

'Get better? But how am I...'

"Oh! That's my cue. I better leave before they think you fell into unconscious again. See you later, angel."

'W-Wait!'

Daisuke felt his body wake up on its own, his eyes slowly opening again. He looked around again seeing that he was moved into another wing of the hospital. He pushed some of the sheets away, seeing multiple empty beds around him. He found a change of clothes placed on a chair near his bedside, moving slowly to slip off the bed. He shifted himself so that his feet was dangling off the bed, testing the waters so to speak as he was able to reach the chair cushion, trusting the chair enough that it wasn't going to move away from him while he was attempting to climb down.

'I...I do feel a little better...but how--'

"Dr. Sekaki...what...about the doctor bill..."

Daisuke jumped a little at the sudden voice behind him. He turned to find Dr. Sekaki again with his mother, still conversing. He had just enough time before his mother looked towards his direction to scramble back under the sheets, his mind a bit hazy with the sudden movements.

"Good morning again, Daisuke." Ms. Niwa said happily.

Dr. Sekaki looked to Daisuke as well, giving him a small smile "The nurses brought you down here to the out-patient ward while you were sleeping. I hope that we didn't disturb your rest."

The boy shook his head, feeling the dizziness ebbing away from his body. "No ma'am, I just woke up before you got back."

"That's good to hear. You have more color coming back to your cheeks- the signs of recovery." she said, chuckling. "I think that you are strong enough to be able to return home with your mother, Daisuke. That is, if you feel up to it."

The child felt looked like he would leap out of the bed at that moment she spoke those words. Instead he just nodded happily. "I would like that very much ma'am." he said politely. "Thank you"

The doctor nodded in return. "Looking at the tests myself, little Daisuke; you might be well enough to return to school after a few more days of rest, and permission from your mother and the district of course."

Daisuke was beaming at that comment, looking at his mother. She gave him a gentle nod and a very happy smile.

School. Finally, to be able to learn with his fellow classmates, albeit he would be alone outside the schoolroom- but that didn't matter. Just being able to be educated and read more books out of the small collection he had was enough for him. He wanted to get out of the house and have fun, and play.

"However..." Dr. Sekaki commented, a serious tone on her lips. This made Daisuke look at her with a worried gaze "...even though I am allowing you to return to school, you're still under observation and care until further notice. You may be recovering, which is a blessing. But I do not want my judgment of your healing to turn into something far worse than what you. Therefore..."

"T-Therefore...ma'am?" Daisuke asked softly. 'I hope they will let me stay with school, sick or not...I don't want to be cooped up in my room forever.'

"Therefore...I will request from the school for you to have someone working at the school to look after you during school hours."

"Dr. Sekaki...but...we don't have very much money to afford it..." Ms. Niwa commented with worry. "I don't not think that we could do this. On top of the medical bills--"

"I am sure that Dr. Musashi or myself will be able to take care of that with little difficult: care of the hospital. Call it a "medical research project and patient observations" in our language if you will." Dr. Sekaki said with a gentle tone. "We all want to make sure that our patients are well cared for- on or off our premises. Besides, I don't think that anyone would say no to that cute face of his." She chuckled, covering her mouth to try and suppress any oncoming giggles.

That remark made Daisuke blush deeply, looking away. 'Momma did say that I was cute...but I didn't think that I was that cute to anyone else.'

Daisuke's mother giggled loudly. "That's my little boy! Always looking like a cute little angel." she quickly moved towards Daisuke and gave him a big hug with a mountain of kisses all over his darkening cheeks.

"M-Momma! N-Not now...please?" he said embarrassed, playfully pushing her away. "N-Not in public."

"With you saying that makes you more and more cute, sweetie!"

"Then it's settled." Dr. Sekaki said, feeling accomplished as she pulled out a slip of paper, scribbling a few notes on it. "I will call the school and when you're back on your feet little Daisuke, you will need to get used to getting up in the morning for school now. Alright?"

Now that he was able to pry his mother's kissing attack off of him, his voice sound more and more confident. "Y-Yes Dr. Sekaki."

And with that, Daisuke was now on his way to recover from his illness, and able to get home.

The voice from the darkness was listening to the conversation, unbeknownst to all who were present. 'School? Hmm...that gives me an idea...'

.o Fin o.

Author's Note: If you're wondering what is going on in the third chapter...do not worry! It will all be explained LATER! Sorry if anyone reading it was getting too confused!

-B452


	4. Light with Dark

I don't own DN Angel. /cry

A/N:Well, I know it's been a long time since I've update Ebony Snow, but I had this sudden urge to write so I felt this would've been the project to work on. So, without further ado, here goes!

Chapter Four

Light With Dark

Daisuke couldn't believe it. He was getting better? It was so sudden that he didn't know what to think. He was just so happy that he was able to finally get back to school and see Ms. Tekako and all the other teachers and students. He wanted to learn and have fun again, and to be free from his bedroom.

As Daisuke and his mother made it back home to Rivers St., his mother helped him back up the stairs and down the hall to his empty bedroom. She got him into another set of worn-out pyjama's and put him to bed, ruffling his hair.

"Now I know Dr. Sekaki said that you will able to go back to school, but you need to rest up and get more energy before _I_ will let you go back, okay Dai?" she asked, even she had a hint of excitement that her little boy was once again going to be well.

Daisuke nodded, a large grin spread over his face. "Yes Momma," he said, coughing lightly and then looked up again with his eyes shining. "I will do it for you."

Mrs. Niwa could've burst into tears of joy looking at her son, seeing him so happy. 'I have to trust Dr. Sekaki's word, I pray that Daisuke will be alright.' she thought, poking his nose. "Now, growing and getting healthy boys need to eat, so I am going to get some lunch ready for you." she said, heading towards the door. "Don't you go anywhere, okay huney?"

"Okay mommy!" he said, the excitement getting welling up inside of him that he was ready to get dressed and run back to school today, even though it was already half over. He bounced a little bit in his bed, hearing the metal springs creak underneath him as he flopped back onto the bed, smiling at the ceiling. "I am getting better..."

~Yes, so it seems.~

Daisuke's heart skipped a beat as he heard that low voice again, looking around frantically as he grabbed the bed sheets and pulled them over his body, using them as a shield. 'The voice from before. I'm going crazy.'

~Relax, little Daisuke. I don't think a blanket is going to protect you.~ the voice said with a light tone of sarcarm. ~I couldn't harm you, even if I wanted to.~

The boy poked his head out from the covers, only seeing the normal residents of his room. "You know my name." he said quietly.

The voice chuckled. ~It's not hard to figure out when both your mother and the nurses at the hospital were calling you by that name, so I just assumed.~

Daisuke sat up slowly. "I can't see you, but I can hear you like you're right beside me. Are you magical? Are you a ghost?"

~Hmph, you can say that. I did tell you that I am good at hiding.~

This made Daisuke curious, crawling over to the edge of the bed and looking underneath, seeing nothing but the bed frame and the box springs bending slightly under his weight. Little bits of dust flew by. The voice laughed at the boys actions.

~Nice try, little one. But I will be a little harder than that to try and find me.~

The boy blushed, looking defeated and sat back on the bed. "Then who are you? What are you? I know you were the man that was in the storm, and mom couldn't see you except for the feather--" he stopped, looking around quickly trying to find it.

"The feather! Where did it go? I remember the light and the smoke that came from it before I..." he trailed off, remembering when he collapsed.

~Sorry kid, I had to use it so I could remain here in this world. I didn't want to die just yet.~ the voice sounded empty. ~Something very precious was stolen from me, and I intend to get it back.~

Daisuke blinked, looking down at himself. "So, where are you really?"

~I am...inside of you.~

"W-What?" Daisuke checked himself over, thinking that there would be something on him or something different about him. "I-Inside of me, a-am I..."

~No, you're not -that-. You would have to be a girl for that kind of thing to work, kid.~

"Then how-?"

~You ask alot of questions.~

Daisuke went silent, closing his eyes. "Sorry." he could feel his breathing getting a little weak.

This made the voice laugh again. ~It's alright, you have every right to question. I technically don't have a body anymore until I can fully recover. So, I needed a vessel so I can get my energy back.~

"So, you're kinda sick too?" Daisuke wheezed out, feeling a coughing fit coming on as he covered his mouth.

~Sorta, yeah. Hey, are you alright?~

"Y-Yeah...j-just" Daisuke coughed loudly, feeling the familiar sore feeling returning in the back of his throat. "I-I've been talking too much..."

~I hope that I am not straining you further. I've been trying to help you, not hinder you.~ the voice paused sounding concerned. ~Speak with your thoughts then like I am, that way you won't have to say anything.~

Daisuke decided to lay back down, closing his eyes and succumbed to the darkness behind his eyelids. 'L-Like this?'

~Exactly.~

Daisuke smiled. 'I feel like you're an imaginary friend. I don't even know your name.'

~Call me...Dark.~ the voice muttered. 'I am not imaginary...hmph'

'Dark...' he repeated. 'That works, because that's all I see right now.'

~I figured that it would be fitting to the situation, yes.~

Daisuke nuzzled the pillow, curling up in his usual position and relaxed, his breathing calm as he stared into his eyelids.

~Do you mind if I ask a question?~

'Sure!'

~How long have you been sick?~

Daisuke opened up his eyes, a little sad. 'Since I was really really young. But, it was never really that bad until 2 years ago. I just got really sick so I've had to stay home in bed all the time. Dr. Musashi doesn't know what's wrong either, and he's asked alot of doctors about it too.'

~And your parents?~

'Momma stays home and takes care of me. Dad...is always away on business mommy says.' Daisuke rolled over. 'He takes care of us when he sends us money, but it's not enough. Mommy can't pay for the bills all the time.'

Dark noticed that when Daisuke mentioned his dad, that there wasn't any connection to him like Daisuke had with his mother. He sounded more energetic; now he was more quiet and solemn. ~I see...~

'Hey, Dark?'

~Yes Daisuke?~

'Will you, stay with me and help me get better? I don't know what you can do since you're...inside...' Daisuke blushed a little. 'But it gets really boring when you're stuck in a room all by yourself.'

~I don't have a choice kid. We're stuck to each other until we're both back the way we're supposed to be.~

Daisuke seemed to be happy with that idea, a small smile still playing on his lips as he held himself against the pillow. 'Thank you, Dark.'

~You're welcome Daisuke.~ Dark said calmly. 'This kid looks weak, but his spirit...I've never seen one this strong. I may have a chance...' He was contemplative to himself, until a loud excited voice filled the room which roused both Daisuke and Dark.

"Lunchtime Daisuke huney!"

.oFino.

There you go guys! Sorry for the long wait! Please review! I hope that the next chapter won't take as long as this one did. 3 you all!!

B452


	5. Bright and Early

I don't own DN Angel

A/N: Wow, two chapters in two days. I can't believe it myself. I dunno, I guess my writing muse is back for a little bit so I can keep writing. Please read and review!

Chapter 5

Bright and Early

"Do you have your sweater on underneath? Did you remember to brush your teeth this morning? How's your hair? Oh my, it's a mess!"

This along with many other questions rang through the Niwa home as the morning of Daisuke's return to school was upon the redhead. After several more visit to the hospital with Dr. Sekaki and Dr. Musashi, it took two more months before Mrs. Niwa would let her boy go. Ms. Tekako, Daisuke's homeroom teacher, was more than happy to get the message that her little student was coming back, and had his desk waiting for him. But first, Daisuke had to get through the full inspection of his mother before even heading out the door.

"M-Momma, my hair is okay. Please, can we go?" Daisuke whined, his voice stronger now since his new 'imaginary friend' had been with him. With Dark being around, it wasn't long Daisuke was showing improvement; despite some minor coughing fits here and there. His breathing was better, and he could move around the small house again without losing his breath or fainting too often. However, he still retained his small, fragile frame, no matter how much his mother tried to feed him.

"I just want to make sure that you're going to be alright, I don't want you to get really sick again. It's a miracle that you're doing well, even the doctors were surprised." Mrs. Niwa said, the concerned, motherly tone radiating from her voice. "Just make sure that you stay inside for now, I don't want to get a phone call saying something bad has happened to you. Please? Do it for mommy?"

Daisuke pouted, looking at her with saddened eyes. "B-But..." and then he looked down, defeated. "Yes Momma."

Mrs. Niwa bit her lip as she looked at her son, giving Daisuke a big hug, sniffling a little. "Dai-tenshi, it's hard to say no to you, but...it's a Mom thing to be worried. Be a good boy for me."

Daisuke nodded, hugging his mother in return. He knew he would just have to wait a little more, like always.

* * *

Despite his mothers worries, Daisuke couldn't stop bouncing in his seat as the bus was taking him to school. He could see that the snow was still on the ground, but it was getting close to spring to hit and the snow would vanish very soon after that.

His stop was the first on route, and he was so happy to get to see other kids again. He sat behind the bus driver, opening up his backpack to make sure he had everything he needed, hoping he didn't forget anything back at home.

Dark sighed in the back of Daisuke's mind. ~Don't worry kid, you checked your bag enough times last night to make sure you didn't miss anything.~

'One more time won't hurt, everything has to be perfect.' Daisuke said confidently, looking at his books, his writing utensils, his lunch- good, everything was there.

~It must be hard going back to school in the middle of the year.~ Dark commented. ~You sure you're going to be okay?~

Daisuke looked out the window, feeling the bus slowing down to pick up the first group of students at the next stop. 'I don't mind. Anything's better than staying home all the time doing nothing.'

The bus came to a stop as students began flooding the vehicle. Some spotted Daisuke sitting in the front seat, but didn't pay him any mind. He looked at some of them, waving a little to see if any of them would wave in return, to no avail. So instead he just sat alone in his seat, continuing to look out the window and kept to himself.

Dark remained to himself during the duration of the bus trip, residing inside Daisuke and only being able to watch whatever Daisuke saw. 'This boy, I don't understand it. He seemed so weak at the start, but ever since I cast that spell for me to bond with his soul, he and I have both been...hmm.' he continued to contemplate the matter. 'I had to do it for emergency purposes, I had no other choice. I have to remain on this earth, the Clan will understand when they find out, hopefully.

'This bond works in odd ways, only a few have done it.' he paused. 'All I can do is watch and do nothing. I have to find a away to get my physical body back. I can't stay in here forever. But if I leave this child's body too soon, he might die.' Dark sighed. 'That wouldn't be fair to the kid. He's too cute-- wait...cute? Did I just think that?'

Dark could feel Daisuke's attention to the snow change as the boy's head turned, feeling his happy demeanor change to something completely different. ~Daisuke? What's wrong?~

"Well, well, if it isn't our little teacher's pet." a boy's voice said loudly.

Daisuke looked up to see the boy, a tall stocky boy with short, spiky blond hair that looked a couple of years older then the redhead. The new kid had a smug grin on his face, with two other boys that looked to be his friends. They too had the same grin as the blond.

"H-Hi Fukomachi." Daisuke squeaked, looking at the boy towering over him. "Sho. Honda."

Fukomachi laughed, taking the seat behind Daisuke's. "How are ya, Teacher's Pet? Did you have a fun vacation? We all thought you fell off the face of the earth. Did you miss us?"

Daisuke squeezed himself into the seat, a wave of anxiety flooding his mind, making Dark a little preturbed. ~So, bullying is still dominating the school system I see...~

'H-Help...' Daisuke thought, feeling a little dizzy. "I-It wasn't a v-vacation..."

"Oh? Then what was it then? Got too scared to come back that your mommy had to force you to go to school? Couldn't keep the facade up for long huh?" Fukomachi narrowed his eyes, his voice whispering so the driver couldn't hear. "This is going to be fun semester now that you're back, Niwa. My fists have missed your face."

Daisuke could feel the tears starting to well up into his eyes when he heard two familiar voices above him.

~That's enough--~

"Fukomachi, leave Niwa alone!"

"Yeah, pick on someone your own size! You big ogre!"

Daisuke looked up to see his salvation: two girls, both with brown hair and brown eyes that almost looked exactly the same as the other, except one had shorter hair and the other had shoulder length. They stood inside the bus and glared at Fukomachi and his little gang before sitting down in the same seat as Daisuke, one girl on each side of him to protect him.

"R-Risa-chan, Riku-chan..." was the only thing Daisuke could get out of his lungs, feeling a little safer now that some of his classmates was with him.

Fukomachi grunted. "Figures that you would have to get a bunch of girls to protect your hide." he sneered. He and his two friends got up and moved to the back of the bus. "We were done here anyway. See you on the playground, Niwa."

Daisuke wheezed a little in his seat, trying to get air back into his lungs. 'T-That...was close.' He felt a hand touch his shoulder, trying to get him to snap out of his shock.

"Daisuke-kun? Are you alright?"

He looked up, seeing the long-haired twin staring at him concerned, only able to give her a small nod. "Y-Yes...Risa-chan. I'm okay."

The other twin, Riku, looked down the bus to the three boys fooling around in the back. She stuck her tongue out at them and turned towards Daisuke. "That Fukomachi, why does he have to be so mean to you?"

Daisuke could only slump down a little further into the seat, holding his backpack the way he usually held his pillow back in his bedroom. 'Maybe I should've stayed home...'

Risa noticed his reaction, and took his hand in hers and gave him a reassuring smile. "Listen, you may have been home all this time, but me and Riku are still your friends, okay? We won't let anything happen to you now that you're back."

Riku smiled, fisting her hands and looked like she was some kind of boxer. "That's right Dai-kun. If anyone comes your way, you know that I will pummel them into the ground. Hi-ya!" she said triumphantly, punching the dividing cushion between the three of them and the driver. She shook her hand and whined a little. "O-Ow! That one hurt."

The bus drived looked at the mirror towards the three of them. "Miss Harada, are you alright?"

Riku looked up at him, giving him a big smile while cradling her hand. "Y-Yes Mr. Mikan."

Dark blinked, stunned at the scene he just watched. He could feel Daisuke's anxiety rise despite him being safe with the girls now protecting him. ~Daisuke.~

The redhead relaxed hearing Dark's voice, trying to keep his hands from shaking. 'Dark...I'm sorry that you had to s-see that.' Daisuke breathed, 'I didn't mean for that to happen.' He closed his eyes, seeing a pair of glowing violet eyes staring back at him, making him whimper softly. 'D-Dark?'

~Sorry kiddo, but that's not going to happen again. You're going to open your wings, little angel.~

'W-Wings?'

Dark grunted. ~Forget it.~ the eyes faded, Dark falling silent again for the rest of the way to school. 'Damnit, I let it slip.'

Dark's comment left Daisuke confused, but at least feeling a little better that Dark was on his side, trying to protect him in his situation. He didn't pay it much mind as they continued the bus ride with no problem. He released his now strangled backpack and began to converse again with the Harada sisters, feeling his excitement return as they were getting closer to his school.

.o~Fin~o.

So! There you have it. Another chapter added to the book of Ebony Snow. Tune in next time!

B452


	6. Encounter

A/N: I do not own DN Angel.

Chapter 6- Encounter

Once he had arrived, the morning of Daisuke's first day back to school had flew by quickly. Before he knew it it was already time for lunch. His teacher, Ms. Tekako, a middle-aged woman with long dark hair that was always kept in a bun and freckles, remained inside the classroom to supervise her little student, while the rest of the children were either playing outside or in the cafeteria. Daisuke remained on alert thanks to his meeting with Fukomachi and his gang on the bus ride, but for now he was a little at ease being with his teacher. As much as he wanted to go out and play, even if it was by himself, he would have to abide by his mother's wishes, and avoid getting any injuries to make sure it was still safe for him to continue his schooling.

Ms. Tekako busied herself at her desk while Daisuke ate quietly. She would take a couple of glances from her work to see what he was doing, noting that he was looking outside from time to time. "How is your lunch Daisuke?"

Daisuke jumped a little, crumbs falling from his cheek thanks to his jelly sandwich. "F-Fine Ms. Tekako, thank you." he said politely, a small frown on his face. "Sorry that you have to look after me."

She smiled, "It's alright. I don't mind. I'm happy that you were diligent with your homework while you were home all this time." she looked down and continued to write in her lesson plan.

"Diligent?" he asked, not sure of what the word means.

Ms. Tekako opened one of her desk drawers, rummaging through it, continuing the conversation while she worked. "Meaning that you continued working really hard with your studies when you were getting better." She pulled out what looked to be a stack of student workbooks, beginning to correct the assignments inside. "Did your mother help you too?"

"Oh yes!" he said happily. "Momma helped me when she wasn't working on the house." he took another bite of his sandwich, looking outside to see the Harada twins playing happily together with a group of their friends. Another frown crept upon his face.

She looked up, noticing the frown. "What is it Daisuke?"

"N-Nothing, Ms. Tekako." he said, looking down at his desk, trying to look like he found something interesting inside.

She sighed. "I know that you want to go outside, Daisuke. But you aren't permitted yet until I get the okay from the Principal. You understand don't you?"

He nodded. "Yes."

There was a knock at the door. Both Ms. Tekako and Daisuke looked towards the noise. Another teacher, Mr. Chiaki stood there, giving Ms. Tekako a small wave. He was tall, thin framed with short, dark hair and thick glasses. He pushed his glasses up and looked at Daisuke's teacher.

"Ms. Tekako, may I see you for a moment?" he asked, his voice deep and a complete contrast to his thin stature. "There's something in the teacher's lounge that is being discussed and I was asked to get you to talk about it further."

Ms. Tekako looked surprised, taking a glance at Daisuke. "I'm sorry Chiaki-san, but I'm afraid that I will have to decline. Me and Niwa are having a private lunch, we're sharing each others company today."

Mr. Chiaki stared at Daisuke, grunting slightly in annoyance, fiddling with his glasses unconsciously. "It won't take long, I assure you."

Daisuke took Mr. Chiaki's gaze and quickly returned to looking at his desk, remaining silent. 'I'm even inconveniencing Ms Tekako...'

Dark all this time remained silent since they arrived at school, observing the redhead in his change of environment. He took note of the child's switching emotions, trying to gauge Daisuke's mood swings with each situation he has been put up against. He took in his anxiety, his sadness, his happiness, trying to understand his current vessel while vying for energy from it without throwing the boys body out of balance, keeping his thoughts to himself. ~It's hard to manage this kid. Even at school he switches emotions on a dime. Being with him even this long and I can't seem to come to a happy medium.~ He mentally sighed. ~Although, with all these conflicting situations that revolve around his health keep happening, I really don't blame him. So I'll have to deal with what's going on with him for now.~

Daisuke perked up suddenly, giving his teacher a smile. "It's okay Ms. Tekako. I will be fine for a few minutes."

"Are you sure, Dai-"

"He'll be fine." Mr. Chiaki interrupted, leaving the doorway.

Ms. Tekako got up from her desk, walking over to the door. "I will be right back. If you need me, press onto the intercom to the main office if it's an emergency. Got it?" Daisuke gave a nod, waving as she headed out. The classroom was silent as he leaned back on his chair and continued to look outside, taking another bite out of his sandwich.

It was then that Dark surfaced in Daisuke's mind. ~For the school to be taking care of you kid, the system seems to be pretty lax.~

Daisuke closed his eyes, seeing the familiar violet orbs in his mind like they were on the back of his eyelids, watching him. 'Ms. Tekako did say that they're still finding someone to stay in class with me instead. But it seemed to be tough to find one right now.'

Dark scoffed. ~It wasn't like this when I was in school.~

'You went to school, Dark?' Daisuke asked curiously.

~Yeah. A long time ago.~

'How long?'

~Let's just say that it was a very long time ago.~

Daisuke would try to ask Dark questions about his past, what had happened that had put him in their current situation. But his spiritual resident would remain in the shadows that he seemed to portray, diverting the subject or avoiding the questions entirely. It would always lead to one-sided conversations.

~Just be patient kid. I will be able to answer all your questions. You're not all grown up yet to know all the answers just yet. Just do me a favor, okay?~

'What's that?'

Dark paused. ~Do your best to have a fun childhood. Continue getting better and you will be helping out the both of us. Once you've done that, I will be able to tell you everything.~

'Promise?'

Dark chuckled. ~I won't make a promise I may not be able to keep.~

'But you just said-' Daisuke whined in childish frustration. "You're confusing me!"

"Am I? I thought I was pretty clear on the bus this morning, Niwa." came a voice from the doorway.

Daisuke froze, opening his eyes. He whipped his head towards the door, the color of his face draining as he saw a face he wasn't looking forward to seeing for the rest of the day. "F-Fukomachi..."

The smug blond gave Daisuke a sneer, leaning on the door frame. "Hello Niwa. I see that you've decided to hide inside instead of coming out and playing with the rest of us." he cracked his knuckles as his two lackeys, Honda and Sho stood behind him. "I think it's time that we changed that."

Daisuke got up from his desk and backed up to the other side of the room as the group made their way inside the classroom. "I-I can't. I'm not supposed to..."

"You're 'not supposed to'?" Fukomachi laughed. "Why, you're too much of a baby to come out like the rest of us?"

"I'm not a baby!" Daisuke managed to squeak out, his heart pounding as his fear grew in his chest. 'I'm trapped, they're blocking the door.' The boys continued to make their way towards Daisuke, the child unable to stop them from closing the distance between them as he was trapping himself into the corner of the room. "Ms. Tekako will be back soon. So leave me alone Fukomachi!"

Dark looked on, feeling the growing panic welling up inside the child. ~Calm down kid. Where is the intercom?~

Daisuke's eyes darted around the room, seeing a small panel that was installed underneath the light switch by the door. 'I wouldn't be able to reach it before they would catch me. They're going to get me for sure!'

~Then run for it kid! Don't freeze up or they will catch you!~

Daisuke tried to make a break for the intercom, but the older boys were alot faster and stronger than he was. Honda and Sho had Daisuke pinned down on either side, with Fukomachi chuckling. "I missed doing this with you Daisuke." he grabbed the boy by the chin, making sure that Daisuke's eyes remained locked in with his and readied his fist. "I'm going to enjoy wrecking that cute, innocent face of yours."

The redhead's heart drummed loudly in his small frame, the fear overwhelming as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head, his body ready to collapse. 'D-Dark...please help me...'

"Nighty night Niwa." Fukomachi laughed, bringing his fist swiftly towards Daisuke's cheek.

Everything suddenly went black in Daisuke's mind, a darkness surrounded his thoughts and mind, something quickly taking over him.

.o~End of Chapter 6~o.

I'm back, don't know for how long. But here you guys go. Thank you for the reviews over the years, and the many follows! 3


	7. Released

A/N: I do not own DN Angel

.o~Chapter 7- Released~o.

At that moment Dark couldn't sit back and let the brute hurt the poor kid. It was a risky move, but he wasn't one to just let things happen, especially when it involved him in the process. ~This has gone far enough I think...~ Dark thought as Daisuke's body shuddered and quickly slid down and out of Honda's and Sho's grasp before they could react, a loud crack and a popping sound was heard right after as Fukomachi's fist collided with the concrete wall, followed by a howl.

"Oooowwww!" Fukomachi yelled, cradling his hand almost dumbfounded. "You rotten brat!"

Dark was in control of the body now, his violet eyes were the only indication that a change had taken place if anyone was actually paying attention. The three goons stood shocked in the corner and he was now a few feet away from them, making his move towards the rows of desks. ~I gotta get him somewhere safe, and quickly. I can't control his body for long.~

Fukomachi looked at his mangled hand, two of his fingers were clearly out of place and tears were streaming down his cheek and he looked at Sho and Honda. "Don't just stand there! Get the kid!"

That was the sign that Dark made a b-line for the door, slamming his hand on the intercom button before rushing out of the hallway that was now filling up with kids. He could hear the boys in the background of the class coming for him as he entered the sea of students, blending into the crowd as best as he could until he found a safe spot around a corner. The hallway was full chattering kids of various ages and the goons were completely blocked as Dark moved unnoticed by anyone just yet.

~This isn't good. If that teacher returns and he's not back at the classroom, things could get ugly really fast.~ he thought as he glanced back at Fukomachi and co., the group now swept away and out of sight. ~Hopefully he's heading to the nurse soon, or to the hospital. He really hurt himself with that cheap shot.~

Dark took a quick walk around the inside of the school, keeping a look out for Fukomachi and made it back to the classroom before kids in Daisuke's class started filing inside. He heard the familiar voice of Ms. Tekako echoing through the intercom, calling out for the redhead.

"I'm here-" Dark said, quickly noticing that his own voice actually came out of the child's throat, coughing quickly. ~Oh crap, didn't expect that one.~

"Daisuke? Are you alright? I'll be back really soon, give me a few minutes." Ms. Tekako said over the intercom, ending shortly after.

Dark made his way back to the redheads desk, taking a few shallow breaths. ~His body is weak. He needs to rest before his body completely collapses on me.~

Students began to pour into the classroom. Risa and Riku Harada were the first few to arrive and quickly walked over to Daisuke, their faces growing with concern as they looked at the boy, who averted their gaze entirely.

Risa was the first to speak, leaning in close "Daisuke-kun? Are you alright?"

Dark and to think and fast, continuing to cough and try and clear his throat, looking away from the twins as he tried to make an attempt to imitate his vessel. "I-I'm sorry Risa-chan...I-I'm not feeling very well."

Riku blinked. "Your voice sounds awful, do you need to go to the nurse?"

~Awful?! Why you little-~ he bit the inside of his lip and let the comment drop."Y-Yes...I think so." at that moment he realized. ~Fukomachi.~ "O-On second thought...I think it might be best if I..." ~Crap...I can't let him go home either...then.~ "I need to use the washroom."

"The washroom? Of course. Here, I will take you." Risa said, a pleasant smile on her lips.

"Me too, come on Niwa." Riku chimed in.

The three of them were making their way back out into the hallway and that's when Ms. Tekako arrived. She looked at the twins with Daisuke in between the two girls. She knelt down so that she was level with the group. "Daisuke? Are you not feeling well? Did anything happen when I was gone?" she asked.

Dark looked down at the floor, trying his best to imitate Daisuke's normal actions as best as he could. The twins quickly piped up. "Niwa needs to go to the bathroom, Sensei. We were going to take him if that's okay." Riku said politely. "Please?"

Ms. Tekako continued to watch Daisuke. "Are you going to be sick? Do you want me to call your mother and have her pick you up?"

Dark shook his head, his eyes still to the floor. "Bathroom, please." was all he could muster to sound like the redhead. "I'll be okay."

The teacher looked up and saw the majority of the class now inside and ready. She looked at the three. "Take him and keep an eye out for him. If something goes wrong to or from, go straight to a classroom and get the teacher. I have to stay here with the rest of the class."

* * *

"Yes, ma'am," the twins said in unison, taking who appeared to be Daisuke to one of the boy's bathrooms.

A couple of splashes of water to his face and Dark looked into the mirror, noticing the change of the boys eye color that matched his own violet hue. ~Damn, hopefully no one saw this.~ he grasped the side of the porcelain sink, taking a few deep breaths as he shook his head, wiping away the rest of the water with a sleeve of his uniform. There was a knock at the door as he heard one of the Harada twins call out to him.

"Niwa? Are you still okay in there?" Riku spoke, remaining outside the door with her sister.

"Y-Yes. I think so." Dark said in return. ~For the most part. But how am I going to explain this to the kid?~

The sound of the flush could be heard behind him and a bathroom stall creaked open. Dark turned as an boy that looked a year older than Daisuke with light purple hair in a mushroom cut and glasses adjusts his outfit, looking up and seeing Dark in front of him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hello Niwa." the boy said in a serious tone, walking up to a sink beside Dark and washed his hands calmly.

~Crap...~ "U-Uh...hello uhm..."

"Hiwatari. I'm surprised you don't remember." the boy stated, turning off the faucet and grabbed a few pieces of paper tower to clean off his hands. "Of course, you have been away from school from quite some time." he continued to eye Dark curiously, pushing up his glasses. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Dark said, clearing his throat. "Why..."

"It's just, your eyes." he moved in closer, his own eyes narrowing. "They're different somehow..."

Dark looked away. "Uh...it's nothing. It's the medication my doctor gave me."

"Strange. I've never heard of a medication that would cause a change of eye color." he tossed the towel into the garbage can, beginning to make his way to the door quietly before he stopped. "Hey Niwa..."

Dark cursed inwardly, doing his best to keep composure, "Yes, Hiwatari?"

"Let me know the next time you decide to leave for a few months. You can always contact me if you need help with your school work. You know my number." The lavender-haired boy opened the door and left, leaving the conversation lingering.

Dark raised an eyebrow in confusion, and shook his head. ~Strange kid. But now I look suspicious...~ he looked at the mirror once again, closing his eyes. ~I need to bring Daisuke back before I cause more problems for the kid. Although I will have alot to explain for myself...~

* * *

Daisuke felt like he was drowning in darkness, unable to see anything or feel anything around him. He tried to move around wherever he was, but it felt like something else was controlling his movements. He tried to call out within the darkness, but couldn't produce a sound.

'Maybe I'm in a coma thanks to...Fukomachi. He must have hit me pretty hard to knock me out. But shouldn't I be unconscious?' he started to feel scared, but he was feeling like he was protected somehow. 'I've never felt like this before in my own body...unless I'm-.' It was then that he began to feel warm, his body emitting a faint glow within the darkness. His back began to heat up by his shoulder blades, which caused him to flinch. 'What's happening now?'

~Hey kid? You there?~ came a voice from the darkness.

Daisuke snapped to attention, now forgotting about the irritating feeling of his back and focused on the voice. 'Dark?! What happened? What's going on?! Fukomachi-'

~Is not going to bother you for the rest of the day. Unless he's that stubborn.~

'What did you-?'

~It's a long story kiddo. I'll explain later. Right now you're in the bathroom and those girls are waiting for you so you can get back to class.~

'Girls? You mean Riku and Risa?'

~Yeah, I think that's what their names are. Just take it easy for the rest of the day, okay? I don't think the both of us can take much more excitement.~

'If you think so. But I still don't have any idea of what is going on.'

Dark chuckled deeply. ~Just don't do anything reckless from now until we get back home and I will explain what happened, deal?~

'Deal.'

Daisuke eyes flew open, grasping the sink in front of him to keep his knees from buckling. He looked like he was almost as white as a sheet and his body felt heavy, his eyes returning to the normal shade of red-orange. He dragged his feet as he opened the door to the washroom, seeing the twins looking at him, giving them a small smile as reassurance. "Hi Risa-san, Riku-san," he said softly, doing the best he could to stand on two legs. "I think I'm ready to go back to class."

Riku looked at him with slight frustration. "Niwa, if you don't feel like you should be at school yet; Tekako-sensei can easily get the office to call your mother and pick you up with no trouble."

"I want to stay, Riku-san. I just got back and I don't wanna lose this chance to be with you and everyone else." he looked at the twins. "I don't want to be home all the time anymore. I want to be able to move around and do what I want. To have fun, you know?"

"Daisuke..." Risa said softly. 'His voice is back to normal so quickly...strange.' She gave him a smile as if she accepted his request. "Alright. But please, we'll stay by your side if you want us to, you know that right?"

The redhead beamed, giving her a nod. "Yeah. Let's get back to the classroom. We're missing math class."

Riku groaned. "I don't mind missing that. You have no idea."

The three of them laughed together, Daisuke smiling happily as they went down the hallway. 'Thank you...both of you.'

Dark mentally sighed from within, keeping his thoughts to himself as Daisuke went on with his day. He couldn't do much now that he had spent what precious energy he had accumulated in order to save the little redhead, changing his schedule entirely. 'Looks like I have to stick with him further, but if I remained on the surface anymore than I had to...something might have completely gone wrong.' he cursed himself. 'As much as I want to be back to normal, it's not in my right to use the kid like I am. However...' he looked at the image of what Daisuke was seeing, feeling the boy's happiness as he went through his work, spending time with the girls, answering questions for his teacher. It was a nice feeling to go through the motions of a child's life, but Dark knew that he was running out of options to what his next move was on his own list of priorities.

~Kouske...I hope you're not looking for me just yet.~

.o~ End of Chapter 7~o.

There you are guys. Another chapter. Hopefully this doesn't spark another 3 year hiatus? DX Thank you all who are still reading my story. I very much appreciate all the views that I have received in the last two days. I've missed working on this project but thanks to life getting in the way I had to quickly change gears. But I have some time now to get back on the horse for a bit. 3 ~D151


	8. Loose Threads

I do not own DN Angel

Chapter 8- Loose Threads

'And he disappeared after that?' Daisuke thought to himself, sitting on his bed working on homework.

~Yeah, I think he may of broken his hand.~ Dark commented, retelling the redhead what had taken place hours before at his school.

'Poor Fukomachi. I hope he will be okay.'

~Wait what? 'Poor Fukomachi'?! He was nearly going to cream you into the wall if I didn't intervene!~

Daisuke fell back onto the bed and rolled over to his side and looked over to the window. He could feel an inkling of frustration in the back of his mind, making him nervous.

~Daisuke? What is it?~

"Dark..." he said quietly. "What is this? With you and me?"

~What do you mean?~

Daisuke closed his eyes. "I do thank you for coming to my rescue; and you are correct, if Fukomachi did hit me I would be back in the hospital. But about you and I, this isn't normal, right?"

Dark remained silent, he knew that the kid would realize it eventually that having two separate beings in one body would start not making sense, especially since he could take control over the others body. He may be a child, but he knew the kid was smarter than he looked. He gave a sigh and tried to juggle an explanation in his head, unsure of himself to come out with a logical answer.

Daisuke grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight, sighing himself. "I know it sounds silly, but I really do think you're like...a guardian angel."

~Still on that bandwagon are we?~ Dark laughed deeply.

"Bandwagon?" he shook his head, disregarding the thought before questioning the statement. "I mean it. You've been with me since the night of the big snow storm. And since then, things have been getting better. I feel healthier than I have been in a long time, I'm back to school, and I was even saved from being injured by Fukomachi and his gang. What else can I call you? And in return I've done nothing, and I'm sorry."

~Heh. There's no need to be sorry. You saved my life that night, kiddo. I know we haven't really talked about it; but if anything, I should be thanking you. If you didn't find me in the snow, who knows what may have happened.~

Daisuke sat up, a small blush on his cheeks. "Dark?"

~Yes Daisuke?~

"When you get better, you will leave?"

Dark paused, thinking about it. ~I guess so. But with what took place today I won't be able to go for awhile.~

"What do you mean?"

~Well, it did take a lot out of both of us when I took over your body.~

Daisuke's gripped his pillow tight. "That is another question. When you took over, I felt like I was in a world of darkness and emptiness. It was scary. I couldn't move or speak when I was there a few times before. Where did I go, exactly?"

~I uh...put you in the part of your mind where I have taken refuge. It's not as bad as you may think, it's just that way because I've taken up residence there. When I leave it won't remain like that, I will make sure of that. Let's just say that I have alot of things that I want to remain hidden in darkness for now. I really had to think fast on that one and switched places with you within your mind. It's very dangerous to attempt, because if I did it wrong your...let's say your memory of yourself could be damaged or destroyed if I didn't do it correctly.~

The redhead gulped, looking down at himself. "You mean that I could've been..."

~Yes. You could've been gone forever.~

Daisuke looked at a wall, his brain trying to take in all what was being said for a ten-year-old. He took a few deep breaths before his lungs gave out from the increasingly emotional anxiety. He stared at the shabby wallpaper in front of him, and then to the floor, looking around aimlessly.

~Or, maybe I'm incorrect on that assumption and everything would've been completely fine.~

Daisuke blinked. "You mean you don't know?"

Dark knew he wasn't getting out of these questions now that they had started. He remained calm and collected, but also in the back of his own thoughts he was unsure of what was going to happen to the both of them. ~Unfortunately, no. What my...people can do, if they are in dire peril, is bind themselves to another person in order to share the vessels energy to eventually sustain their own body form and return to normal from what knowledge I have acquired. It is dangerous because it can harm the host, or we can die if we fail in the attempt entirely.~

"So I could've disappeared when you tried to bond with me?"

~...yes. But believe me I wasn't going to let that happen. You went into a coma, but in a way it was to our benefit. With you being unconscious, your body didn't resist what I needed to do. So it was easier when you complied with the idea, despite you being unaware of the possible outcome.~

Daisuke went white, burying his head in the pillow.

~Daisuke...~

"Just...give me a minute, okay?"

Dark retreated within, letting the boy take it all in. He knew all of this would be too much to handle for a kid this early in the bond, which is why he intended to avoid answering the questions before until Dark felt he would be ready. Now everything was beginning to unravel in front of him and he had hoped that this wasn't going to last long so he could let the redhead live his life normally. He had some expectation that in return he could heal the boy somehow while he was inside, which in Dark's mind would be an equivalent exchange.

"So, can you take over my body at any time?"

~No. You would have to offer your body to me willingly. So when you called out to me, I was able to make the switch, as risky as it may be. If I tried and you resisted, I think things would have turned out for the worse.~

"Did anyone notice?"

~Not that I am aware of. The only thing that changed was your eye color, which I didn't realize until we made it to the bathroom. But I don't think anyone took notice. I made sure to convince people that I was you.~

"My eyes?" he rubbed them, blinking a few times. "But they're normal now."

~That's because you're in control now, Daisuke. They changed back when you took over.~

"With you being here...will anything else change on me, physically?" he looked up again and unconsciously touched his back, thinking about the burning sensation he had from time to time while they have been together.

~I'm unsure about the details. Remember, my Clan has rarely performed this kind of thing and survived a very long time ago. This stuff is technically not on the record.~

"Your Clan."

~Yes. There is a group of people in the world who does what I do.~

"And...just what are you?"

That was the question he didn't want to hear out of all of this. Dark cursed inwardly as he hoped he could make things as covert as possible. But he had already let the cat out of the bag so it was his own mistake. The room was still and he kept silent for a few moments, Daisuke closed his eyes and rolled over, cradling the pillow in his arms.

~Daisuke...I'm-~

A knock at the door echoed through the room, making Daisuke sit up quickly, the pillow hit the floor with a soft thump. Dark was both surprised and relieved that he was delayed from answering. They both were quiet as the door opened slowly, Daisuke's mother peeking inside the room, her hair slightly mussed with a white handkerchief keeping it out of her face sans a few strands of hair.

"Dai? Are you okay in here?" Ms. Niwa asked, her regular smile on her face.

"Y-Yes Momma." he said, still rattled by his conversation with Dark. He smiled a little. "Just talking out loud to myself. It helps me with my homework."

Emiko, Daisuke's mother name that Dark had taken note of while being in the household for the last two moths, looked towards the bed to see Daisuke's homework and various pencils strewn all over his bed. Daisuke looked away sheepishly at the mess that he had been created rolling around while he was talking to Dark, not realizing that he was doing so. She smiled and walked inside, ruffling his spiky red locks and kissed his forehead. "It's alright Dai. Do you need any help with any of it? Besides cleaning it all up."

"N-No Momma, I got it." Daisuke started to try and put things back into his book bag, some of his workbooks slipping out of his small hands and onto the floor, sighing in defeat.

His mother went down onto her knees and picked up some of the books, handing them back to him, looking at Daisuke with a calming gaze. "You didn't really tell me how your first day back to school went. You were awfully quiet when the bus dropped you off."

Daisuke nodded. He was so distracted with what had happened today that he wasn't really paying attention to the outside world from the end of lunch to when he got home. "Sorry Momma." he gave her a smile. "I was so excited I didn't know what to start with. I hope you're not angry."

Emiko giggled. "Of course not Dai-tenshi." she placed her hands on his knees, looking up at him happily. "I knew you would tell me when you were ready."

'When I was ready...' he thought to himself, and then thought about his counterpart. 'Dark must feel the same way. Maybe I'm not ready to know?' He snapped back to reality, looking at his mother and gave her a small hug. "Thank you Momma. Now I understand."

Emiko blinked, wrapping her arms around him and returned the hug. "You're welcome Dai, but why?"

He shook his head and smiled. "It's nothing."

She raised an eyebrow, reaching in between him and tickled his tummy slightly, not going too far. "Are you hiding something from me, my little tenshi?"

Daisuke let out a wave of giggles, scrambling to get away from her tickling war. "Aaah! M-Momma...s-stop!" he tried to push her hand away, able to break free from her, blushing slightly as he inhaled sharply.

"Aww, you broke free from my clutches this time, but there will be a next time, little Niwa!" his mother said valiantly, acting like she was all theatrical, making him laugh. She watched him and smiled, returning to her calm demeanour and continued to clean up the rest of his homework, gathering it all up and putting it away on his small desk. "I'm not sure about what to make for supper tonight. I was wondering if I could have my little helper in the kitchen to decide with me."

"Really?" Daisuke asked happily, jumping off his bed and went over to the door. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Emiko went over to the door and scooped him up in her arms, holding him close. "Alright Daisuke, let's go."

He wrapped his arms around his mothers neck, resting his head on her shoulder. 'It's okay Dark.'

Dark perked up, keeping out of Daisuke's conversations as best as he could ~Hmm?~

'You don't need to tell me yet. I will wait.'

~...thanks kid.~

.o~End of Chapter 8~o.

Here you go everyone! Another chapter! Spread the word! :3


	9. Surprises

A/N: Once more, I don't own DN Angel

Chapter 9- Surprises

Away from the humble, quiet, rural area of Rivers St., the lights twinkled on all around as night fell upon the city. Buildings came to life as people continued their work into the evening. There was one building that remained dark, left alone in shadows. The majority of the population within the city avoided the building, eclipsed in shadows to hide its secrets. Many of the offices inside were left unused, save one. The flickering of various new clips flashed across multiple computer monitors and typing could be heard from behind them. A squeak of a worn leather office chair and a long sigh broke the lingering silence.

"Kouske?"

An older man with brown spiky hair and dark eyes sat behind the desk dressed in a black suit and tie. His eyes were glued the monitors in front of him. He looked up when he heard the voice, seeing a young teenage boy at his side. The dark haired teen bowed his head when the man took notice, looking at him.

"Saehara..." Kouske addressed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "What is it?"

"Dark's been missing for awhile now with no word, you've been trying to find him with no indication of his whereabouts. It's possible that he could've been—"

"I will not stop until I find evidence." Kouske interrupted, looking back at the screens. "There hasn't been a body found. And if there was there was someone would report it, given what he is. So he must be in hiding somewhere. I'm sure of it."

"Well, the rest of us have gone into hiding here since Dark has been missing in action. We haven't been able to leave since then. They're getting restless."

"I know. So am I. But until we find him, we have to be on alert and on lock down."

"Do you think he found it? The artifact?"

Kouske scrolled through the articles, opening several files and various building blueprints. "It has been moved to a secret location and placed under strict surveillance, heavy security. So I'm assuming that he didn't even make it to his destination. Something or someone must've got in his way."

"Do you think that it might be an enemy of ours?"

"It's becoming more and more apparent. Although even they haven't been spotted for quite some time."

Saehara leaned onto the side of his desk, watching Kouske concerned look. "Niwa-san, how many days has it been since you slept?"

Kouske ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair, grabbing a cup of coffee that was sitting beside him and took a sip, quickly choking and sputtering the liquid onto his desk, realizing that it had gone cold and gritty. He wiped his mouth, noticing his stubble was almost to a full-on beard. Saehara looked at him, not even a look of surprise.

"I don't know, I've lost count at this point."

Saehara patted his shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you to your room, Niwa-san." he pushed the keyboard away from his elder, turning off the computer monitors.

The spiky-haired brunette slowly got out of his seat, pushing it out of his way. "I wish I was like you sometimes, Takeshi. You don't have to rest for very long to be back on your feet, unlike us humans."

"The same goes in kind, Niwa-san. I wish that I could sleep to be able to dream like you..."

"True." Kouske chuckled. "You must get bored staying here watching over the sanctum, Saehara. If you ever want to return to your other life for awhile, you know that I would approve of it. I'm sure your friends miss you at school."

"It's been a long time, I doubt anyone would remember me."

"I wouldn't be so sure. You never know."

"And even if I decided to go, you would never leave your office, Niwa-san."

"You might be right about that. Just think it over."

"Fine fine. Come on then."

* * *

Daisuke tossed and turned in his bed while he slept, his blankets was twisted around him in a cocoon with his red hair sticking out of one end. He stirred and fell back to sleep multiple times, unable to have a decent night sleep. It had been like this for the last couple of weeks since Daisuke's return to school. Fortunately nothing more was said about what took place with Fukomachi, both sides kept quiet for the time being, except for Fukomachi saying that he apparently injured himself while rough-housing inside the school. Dark remained alert during the night, watching over the child from within while he slept. He was growing concerned, unsure if he was becoming a burden to the child.

~He should be fine.~ Dark reassured himself, watching Daisuke settled down in his sleep for the moment. ~Me being here shouldn't have too much of an effect on him, should it?~

He pondered to himself, remembering the events that had brought him to this point: who he was, being a part of his Clan, going on missions, ending up in his fight after an artifact, getting defeated and then bound to Daisuke in order to save himself. Thinking about it he couldn't deny what he did was in order to save himself, but he needed to get back to his people, even if they thought that he was dead at this point. They would have to be patient for the time being. It wouldn't be easy to explain his current situation, since it was dangerous and forbidden to perform such an act on a human being, especially one such as Dark who didn't have much experience in what he was doing. Sure he had read about binding one's soul to another, but in practice was a completely different thing all together. He was now wondering if he had made a mistake in the bonding, doubting what he had done at the possible cost of Daisuke.

At the same time, Dark was starting to have strong feelings for the child. He enjoyed being around the kid, despite Daisuke's overabundant innocence and selflessness towards others that he himself wasn't used to. Dark experienced a small part of the redheads life that he himself had never experienced before. All he had known for most of his life was the Clan and his home. He would always do missions and return before sunrise, hidden in darkness away from others who might spot him. This was a small taste of freedom that he enjoyed- being in the sun and in anothers company. He was ever grateful for the kid, and becoming protective almost as much as Daisuke's mother. He swore that he would try his best to make sure no harm came to Daisuke.

A small whine stirred Dark from his thoughts, bringing him back to the redhead. Being unable to do anything now after everything was all said and done at this point in the game left him pretty useless unfortunately.

~Daisuke?~

The child opened his eyes slowly, groaning and pushing the sheets off of him. "I feel hot, I can't breathe." The boy curled up on top of his bed, shivering slightly from the cold air of his room.

~Daisuke, you need to stay under the blankets. You might get sick again.~

"I can't," Daisuke panted, pulling at his shirt. "The heat, my back is really itchy tonight."

~Itchy?~ Dark questioned, his worry increasing as he thought to himself. ~No...he couldn't be. That can't happen.~

"Dark...is happening to me? I can't see in the dark."

~Daisuke, you need to get to a mirror. Get up. Hurry.~

"Hhn...it burns. T-Take over..."

~You sure-~

"Please..." his voice was weak and he went silent.

Dark gasped, sitting up now in control of Daisuke's body with a slight shock and quicky composed himself. He wiped his forehead and grunted, feeling the body overheated. ~He wasn't kidding...~ he reached back slowly, his mind reeling as he felt something that shouldn't be there in the darkness of the night. ~...no.~ Dark slipped out of the bed, walking quickly and quietly out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. He felt slightly imbalanced with fatigue and dizziness. He flipped the light switch and pushed Daisuke's stool next to the sink and faced the mirror. He could see Daisuke's familiar face, his own violet eyes staring back at him. He turned to see the child's back, pulling up the shirt and feared the worse.

There underneath the skin of the kid's back were two small lumps that weren't there before just above the shoulder blades. He felt one of the small bumps, feeling the familiar rash that Dark had experienced once before and his heart sank. ~How is this possible? This shouldn't happen to humans, not to him. I don't understand.~ he continued to look in the mirror, his thoughts now filling with his own questions, cursing himself and let the shirt fall over the kids back. ~Well, now I know why this procedure is forbidden. Damnit Dark! How am I supposed to fix this? When I said wings, I didn't mean literally!~

A familiar voice flooded his thoughts, 'Dark?' Daisuke asked, making Dark jump. 'Dark, what's going on? What's wrong?'

Dark was silent, afraid to answer. ~I didn't think. Stupid idiot! How am I going to explain if this gets out? If I wasn't dead now, who knows what the others might do if they knew I did this to a human.~

'Dark?' Daisuke repeated, a worried tone to his voice. 'Please tell me.'

Dark took a deep breath, calming himself as best as he could, ~Daisuke, I want you to do me a favor, okay?~

'Okay...?'

~Don't freak out.~

'What? Okay, but why?'

Dark gulped and turned his back to the mirror, letting the boy have control and wanted to be able to jump out of the Daisuke's body and run for the hills. He knew that at the moment it was impossible, but he wished he could.

Daisuke blinked a few moments, still feeling his skin emanating heat as he looked back. "What's wrong Dar-" he then noticed the bumps covered by his shirt, his eyes growing as wide as saucers as he quickly started to hyperventilate. "W-What are these? D-Dark?" the redhead was increasingly nervous, touching one of them and feeling something move underneath the skin, making his stomach turn, feeling a scream wanting to burst from his chest but did his best to suppress it until the other gave him an answer. "Please tell me, and quickly."

~Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap!~ Dark repeated to himself. ~Daisuke, it's not as bad as it looks. I can do my best to explain.~

"Start. Now. Please." Daisuke said out loud, still staring at the two protrusions, praying that the one he was currently looking at wasn't twitching in response. The itchiness wasn't helping with the situation either, making him want to scratch the area for relief.

~Somehow, I don't know how, you're going through the transformation of my Clan. Don't ask me how because this shouldn't be happening to you. I wasn't aware that this was possible, and I apologize for not knowing. But don't worry, it can be delayed for a period of time until the body is ready to accept the full change. I promise~

"I-I...huh...what?" Daisuke stuttered, his brain taking in bits and pieces of information at the moment, trying to take it all in without bursting into tears from the shock of what was taking place. "Please Dark, make it go away." he pleaded, now curled up on his stool, rocking back and forth slightly.

~I'll try kid. Do your best to stay calm.~ Dark said, trying to keep calm himself. ~I'm going to need your help. Place a hand over your shoulder.~

Daisuke reached out, reluctantly touching one of the lumps. It felt warm and moved under his skin in response, taking a few breaths to try and be level-headed about this. He bit his lip, trying not to freak out and wake his mother. Dark began to chant softly in a language that Daisuke had never heard of in his thoughts. It was almost completely inaudible, nothing seemed to sound coherent to try and understand. At first it seemed that nothing was happening, but suddenly a white light appeared from Daisuke's fingertips. A series of popping sounds and crunching as the two lumps glowing as well and seemed to decrease in size, his back quickly returning to normal. The redhead did his best to keep the sounds out of his thoughts, whining softly. Once Dark had finished speaking, the light faded and Daisuke lifted his shirt quickly. He saw nothing but smooth skin, no remnants of the protrusions at all for the time being. He slid off the stool and onto the cool tile floor, his head resting on his knees as he breathed.

~Heh, at least that worked.~

'Dark...?'

~I know I know...more questions. I get it.~

"Yes...possibly tomorrow." Daisuke slowly got up, now drained and ready to head to bed. 'Need...sleep.'

~Good...~ said to himself. ~Gives me time to figure this out, I hope.~

.o~ End of Chapter 9 ~o.

There you have it, another chapter! Please comment and give me reviews about how you guys think. Criticism is welcomed! Thank you for all the people who take the time and continue reading this story.


	10. Answers

A/N: I don't own DN Angel

.o~Chapter 10-Answers~o.

Dark was in trouble. He wished that he would have all the answers ready for Daisuke, but now with this sudden turn of events he was stuck. The went through the information that he had researched and reviewed countless times in hiding before he had left the Sanctum, his home. The dark secrets that the Clan had kept hidden away that wasn't supposed to be found. But Dark was curious, always getting into things that he wasn't supposed to. And now, he was beginning to discover the reason why these things that he had looked into and performed should've remained secret. He remained alert the rest of the night, afraid that his abilities to hide what was physically happening to Daisuke would fade, progressing and later be discovered by Daisuke's mother.

Daisuke wasn't in any better shape. Once he had returned to bed he did his best to keep his thoughts to himself while he succumbed to another restless sleep. Unfortunately it didn't help. The boy continued to toss and turn in his bed, his bed sheets all over the mattress and most of them on the floor. Once the sun had began to rise on the horizon he opened his eyes, still drained and his body aching. He sat up slowly and stretched, groaning and let out a long yawn. He got out of bed and checked himself over, making sure there weren't any other surprises for him once he was up. Fortunately it was the weekend, which meant that he didn't have to worry about anything happening at school for now.

~Daisuke I-~

'Not right now Dark. Not yet.' he said abruptly, a slightly tone of annoyance as he went to his closet, opening it slowly and pulled out some clothes out of a laundry basket his mother had placed inside for him to reach.

Dark went quiet, not surprised by the reaction. He watched Daisuke's movements intently, now seeing apprehension and slight paranoia within the child. He blamed himself for the change of character. He just got used to the bubbly, optimistic kid that he's been with and now, because of him, was now changing into something that he wasn't. It was still too early to even consider leaving the child he kept repeated in his thoughts, fearing that Daisuke would return to being the sick and fragile kid that he started with in their first encounter or worse. Instead of him being a help, he was now feeling like a hindrance.

Daisuke pulled his pyjama shirt over his head and paused, dropping the shirt onto the floor and felt his back where he felt one of the places where the the bumps were. He traced a finger on his skin from his back up to his shoulder and shuddered, letting out a shallow breath. He shook his head and quickly put on another loose fitting T-shirt. He did his best to put the thoughts of last night in the back of his mind and scrambled to get the rest of his clothes on, pulling on a pair of socks and got cleaned up in the bathroom, as part of his regular routine. He remembered that he forgot to put the stool away and stood on it to brush his teeth.

The floorboards squeaked as he heard his mother getting up down the hall. She yawned and walked towards the bathroom, noticing that the light was on and peeked inside. "Morning Dai. You're up early."

Daisuke rinsed off his toothbrush and grabbed his facecloth, looking up at her and smiled with a toothpaste grin. "Hi Momma. I didn't sleep very well."

Emiko wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a small hug, kissing his hair. "Do you want to come cuddle with mommy for a few more minutes?"

He gave a muffled giggle while he wiped his face, nuzzling her arm. "It's okay Momma, I'm awake now."

"Well how about breakfast? You hungry?"

He shook his head. "No mom. I don't feel like eating right now."

She looked down at him concerned, her worry all over her face as she let go of him. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm okay. I'm just not hungry."

She bit the inside of her cheek, looking at him closely. She put her hand on his forehead, checking for a temperature. Daisuke pushed her palm away and laughed. "I'm okay Momma. Trust me." he looked at his mother and gave her a big smile, but Emiko wasn't completely convinced. But she did her best to let it go for now.

"Okay Dai." she patted his head and went back to the door. "Let me know when you're done, I'll be in my bedroom. We're heading to the clinic today for another check up today with Dr. Sekaki at her office."

Daisuke stepped down from his stool and put it away, nodding. "I'm done Momma, you can have the bathroom now." he stood in front of her, looking up at her and tilted his head at the surprised look that now masked her face. "What's the matter Mom?"

Emiko shook her head. "It's just..." she smiled. "You just seem to be growing up right in front of my me is all." she turned him around and let him out of the bathroom. "Shoo shoo, Momma's gotta put her face on." She chuckled and closed the door, her voice muffled behind it. "Tomori from next door told me that he was able to fix the television last night while you were asleep. You should be able to watch some of your cartoons for now until it tries to blow up on us again."

"Okay Momma!" he called back, heading down the stairs to the main floor, walking into the living room, turned on the TV and climbed up onto one of the faded chairs, moving all the way back and sunk into its cushions. He watched the picture flicker on the screen and begin to clear up, watching some of the commercials stream by. He rested his head in his hand and propped his elbow on the arm of the chair. He idly watched, not really paying the machine any mind. He heard the shower upstairs, the clock ticking in the kitchen, and the buzzing of people's chatter coming from the TV, closing his eyes.

'Alright Dark.' he thought, strangely calm.

~What do you want to know?~

'It wasn't a dream, was it?'

Dark sighed, feeling like he was stepping on eggshells. ~No, it wasn't.~

'It wasn't supposed to happen?'

~No.~

'Then...' he paused. 'Why did it happen?'

~Daisuke. I don't know. From what I researched a long time ago, the bond that is created between two beings is like a symbiotic link. For a period of time my people rely on the life of another in case of heavily sustained damage in battle or war in order to restore oneself. I've explained that briefly before to you. Once we have enough energy we separate from the vessel and be able to maintain our own physical form once again, with no harm or damage to the host. There wasn't any reports on these kinds of changes to the initial body when the connection is made; it only stated that it was a forbidden art from centuries before and wasn't permitted to be used since then.~

Daisuke furrowed his eyebrows. 'So this practice hasn't happened for a long time?'

~By my count, 237 years.~

'Your kind has been on earth for that long?'

~Longer, in fact.~

'How old are you then, Dark?'

~You don't want me to answer that.~

The redhead went silent.

~Okay okay. Maybe you do. I'm only 98. I'm still young.~

'-Only?!-'

Dark chuckled nervously. ~Yeah, I look pretty good for my age. Our time has slowed down significantly compared to a normal human.~

Daisuke blinked a few times in surprise. 'So you live for a long time. And you can bond with other beings. What else can you kind do? What were those things?'

~They were wings, Daisuke. My people-~

'What are you called? Your people? You call them your Clan?'

~Take it easy! One question at a time.~

Daisuke was getting frustrated just as much as Dark. He was getting impatient and scared at the same time for the realization that what he was getting into was more than Dark was previously letting on. He knew that Dark needed help at the beginning when he found the feather and Dark was worse for wear from what he gathered. But things were happening too fast for him and he needed an explanation, even if he didn't understand it.

The child took another deep breath. 'Sorry. Go on.'

Dark did his best to calm down, slightly annoyed. His violet eyes glowed within Daisuke's mind. ~We call ourselves Fallen. Humans have given us other names throughout history, but that's what we have to label us. We look human in appearance, but we have what you would call supernatural abilities and physical differences that separate us. One in particular is the wings, that's a universal distinction; as for abilities or powers, they vary from person-to-person. We don't have to eat very much to sustain ourselves; we don't need to sleep like regular humans do. We primarily rely on energy of the environment around us to maintain our body. What I call a Clan is what you would consider a pack, or a family. We live in small groups to prevent detection. We prefer to move in the shadows or the darkness of the night; it helps us not to get caught.~

The bathroom door opened and the sound of footfalls made Daisuke look up towards the sound. He waited and heard the hairdryer turn on and his mother's bedroom door shut, returning to his thoughts. 'So, with this change is what your kind- Fallen go through?'

~Yes, once we reach our maturity, sort of a human's puberty, our transformation occurs. Not every change is identical, or easy.~

'So, how is it happening to me?'

~When I performed the bond on you, there is a chance that I messed it up. Okay, it is a high possibility. I get it and I'm sorry. I may have connected to closely with your soul to gather energy from you.~

'And what does that mean exactly?'

~That it's possible that my powers, my abilities, my form, has merged with yours that it has triggered a transformation within you.~

Daisuke wrapped his arms around himself, shaking slightly as his heart sped up. 'But you made them go away, right?'

~No.~

Daisuke's heart sank.

~I merely delayed the change. It will happen sooner or later. This does complicate things.~

'What if you tried to separate from me? Return to your normal body?'

~If I tried that your body might suffer irreparable damage with the amount of energy I would need since we're linked. I will not allow that to happen to you. Not after what my reckless actions have done.~

'What else am I going to expect, Dark?' the boy asked. 'Am I going to become a monster? A freak?'

~Well, I don't really know. This is a new experience for me as well. Having this happen to a human being is not only forbidden, but also a curiosity. I'm fascinated as to what's going to-~

'-Dark-', The redhead was stern, but inside he was a cluster of emotions.

Dark didn't realize that he was going too far until then and went quiet. ~I'm sorry. You can be mad, I'll understand.~

Daisuke thought about it, getting out of the chair and walked over to the TV, turning it off so he could return to silence. He sat on a footrest, his head in his hands. He felt his shoulders shake as he went over the new developments in his mind. His fear lingered over every piece of information, getting more and more uneasy of the whole ordeal.

"I'm not mad." Daisuke said softly

Dark was surprised. ~You're not?~

"No..." his voice wavered as tears began forming around his eyes. 'I'm just really, really scared.'

Dark had wished that he could hold the poor child. At least to try and calm the boy. His violet eyes dimmed within Daisuke's mind. ~I won't say not to be. But remember Daisuke. You will need to be strong. And, you won't be alone.~

Daisuke took a shaky breath, wiping his eyes to get rid of the tears before his mother came. 'Okay...' he looked around and heard his mothers footsteps coming downstairs. He got up and went to the coat rack, tugging his coat from its grasp and quickly put it on.

Emiko got to the bottom of the stairs and noticed Daisuke seemed to be a little off, raising an eyebrow. "Daisuke? Are you all set to go?"

The redhead shot her a smile and managed to get his sneakers on quickly, hiding his growing secret away from his mother as best as he could from his actions. "Yes Momma, let's go."

Emiko grabbed her coat and slipped a pair of shoes. She grabbed a scarf for herself and one for Daisuke, wrapping his around his neck before heading outside. "Alright, we're off."

Dark returned to his darkness, keeping to himself as he watched. ~Believe me kid, I'm not letting you go.~

.o~End of Chapter 10~o.

Whew! Another chapter rolled out! Thank you for reading! Please review! :) I read all of the comments that I recieve.


	11. Ups and Downs

A/N: I don't own DN Angel

.o~Chapter 11-Ups and Downs~o.

Daisuke's school days were quiet. Students continued to avoid him since his return. But at least he wasn't being constantly bullied because he remained in the classroom all day. Fukomachi, Honda, and Sho didn't pay him much mind for now, since the gang leader still had a cast on his hand and wasn't able to do much until it healed, which put Daisuke under the radar for now. Riku and Risa hung out with the redhead during school hours, but then they would have to leave him alone while they had their various school activities that kept them busy. Daisuke would work on his homework and eat during recess and lunch, and go home to finish up the rest of his work from the afternoon at home. He would try to keep busy as best he could with school and assignments that he could do in order to put the rest of his problems in the back of his mind.

Since the incident there didn't seem to be any kind of physical changes that Dark had seen. But he remained on alert, watching over the boy. His seal over the transformation phases seemed to stay in effect for now until he had time to look things over. Since the weekend there were more tests that Dr. Sekaki needed to perform that Daisuke's mother wasn't aware of. But the Niwa family took them in stride, understanding that the tests needed to be done to monitor Daisuke's progress. Dark was concerned that with Daisuke's possible internal and external changes with him merged with the kid's soul would bring up some red flags. With the seal he hoped that the changes wouldn't become more apparent until after all of the future tests were completed. Everything looked to be in the green, which was a relief to now only Emiko's but to Dark as well.

The next week came and went. Daisuke did his normal routine of waking up, going to school, come home, watch some TV with his mother, or stay in his room to finish his homework. Things were as normal as they could be, except that Daisuke and Dark didn't talk very much since their conversation. Daisuke was still trying to understand all of the information on top of balancing his life and schoolwork in his brain. Even though he was getting better as the days passed; he was beginning to feel trapped. He was now afraid that he was going to suddenly become something inhuman or a monster overnight or worse. But he did his best to hide his insecurity behind his smile, masking his problems to look like things were okay in front of others.

As Daisuke continued his week, things were becoming progressively demanding on the boy's body. By Friday he was feeling completely drained. He got up and rubbed his eyes, getting dressed and felt a slight throbbing in his temples. He kept away from trying to interact with Dark, doing his best to get through the day as best as he could so he could rest during the weekend. The day seemed to go by slowly, each second taking a moment to last longer before passing to the next. As much as he wanted to focus on school, his body was trying to convince him that he needed something other than studying. Once he got off the bus he went inside, he called out to his mother that he had returned, dragging his book bag behind him and let it fall to his side when he got into his bedroom. He managed to make it to the bed and collapsing on top of it with a heavy sigh.

"So sleepy..." he said to himself, curling up with his pillow.

His mother called up at the foot of the stairs. "Daisuke? Dinner's going to be ready in a another hour."

"Okay..." he called back, masking his discomfort.

The throbbing in his skull hadn't gone away all day. He looked up at the ceiling to try to distract himself to no avail. He closed his eyes, seeing Dark's violet eyes in the back of his eyelids, sighing softly.

~Still going to continue to ignore me?~ Dark asked.

'No...' he groaned. 'I'm having trouble focusing on things is all.'

~You have been eating properly. But you're still feeling tired?~

'Yeah. Does this have something to do with...'

~It's possible. Have you felt or seen anything differently?~

'Am I supposed to?'

~It depends.~

Daisuke grunted in frustration. 'Now you're going to start talking in riddles?'

~You've been avoiding me. You know that I am here to help, but now you've been distant.~

'Can you really blame me? It's been hard to concentrate.' he rolled over. 'You said before that the Fallen lives off the world around you?'

~Correct.~

Daisuke opened his eyes. "Then how do I-" he stopped mid-sentence and noticed something move in the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see but there was nothing there. Then another flew past his vision, almost like a string of light floating in the air and then it disappeared. And then another.

'Dark?'

~What?~

'I think I'm going crazy. I'm seeing things.'

~What do you see?~

'I dunno. It was something in the air. It looked like a string, but I couldn't quite place it.'

~What did it look like?~

'I think...it was yellow? They keep disappearing and reappearing I can't really tell.'

~It's the energy that I have spoke of. We use it as a life source. Your body is probably low on energy and needs to be restored.~

'What do I do? Will it do something to me?'

~Reach out to it. Being like the Fallen it should comply to your actions.~

Daisuke took a slow breath, sitting up and saw multiple strands of golden yellow strings of light now circling his bed. It was beautiful and hypnotic, watching them dance, disappearing and reappearing in the air. He reached out towards one of the threads with a shaky hand, curious if they were actually something he could physically touch. As Daisuke moved closer, the string disappeared. He frowned and looked for another one, reaching towards it. In response the string of light reacted, spinning around his index finger. At first Daisuke wanted to pull his hand back, but was too entranced by the experience, watching the light dance in between his fingers. It felt warm and soft at the same time, giving off a golden glow. The redhead tilted his head, turning his hand as the thread swirled around the top of his palm and then dissipated into a pile of golden dust, landing on his skin and faded.

'Dark...what was...?'

~Relax. Just wait.~

The boy waited, not feeling anything, slightly puzzled. And then all of a sudden something ripped through him like a jolt of electricity. His heart gave a strong thump in his chest, causing him to fall back onto the bed. Daisuke suddenly felt like his entire body was as light as a feather, feeling like he could float away with the smallest of breeze. He looked at his hand to see the golden energy move inside his hand and up his arm, slightly alarmed by the experience, but it wasn't painful or harmful to him. The energy spread inside him, the pain in his skull ceasing and the fatigue that he had felt was almost like it was never there. He felt more alert, almost like he could literally bounce around his room with little trouble. His back felt warm, like he was laying on a cloud. The golden light began to fade into his small frame, the rush dying down. He took a few moments just laying there to catch his breath, the threads of light continued to swirl around him lazily.

~So, how do you feel?~

Daisuke blinked a few times, sitting up on his bed. He took one more look around before the threads disappeared. The room returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

"That felt...amazing. I'm not tired anymore."

~Yes, you have the ability to borrow energy from the world around you in order to rejuvenate yourself.~

"Rejuvenate?"

~Replenish. Fill you up. You use the energy to maintain your body.~

Daisuke pushed himself off the bed, looking at his hands. He then looked around again, almost dumbfounded. "So I really am becoming like you."

~You know, it's not a bad thing. Your body doesn't seem to need much energy, unlike us. It's almost a blessing because now you won't tire as easy.~

"How come they disappeared? The lights I mean?"

~They appeared when they're called, or when they're needed.~

Daisuke blinked again. "So you were just going to let me pass out on the bed like that? Why didn't you tell me?"

~Well, I figured you would call me eventually.~

"How cruel."

~Hey, I had to do wait and see what would happen. I'm learning what's happening with you. You forget that I am just as worried as you are. As good as my seal is, there are changes happening that I cannot control inside of you.~

"Do you know if there's anything else I can do. Like the abilities you talked about."

~We won't know unless we try. Do you trust me enough to do so?~

Daisuke paused, biting his lip. "Yes."

~Then let us try something. Close your eyes.~

He did as he was instructed. He saw the violet orbs once again within the darkness. Objects began to form in his thoughts. At first they looked to be a bunch of mismatched letters of a different language. A moment later the letters began to shift and change in his mind, translating for him. "What is this?"

~Think of it like a spell. I need you to read it out loud.~

Daisuke took a second to read the words a few times, giving a nod. "I think I'm ready."

~Go ahead.~

He cleared his throat and began to speak aloud, "Darkness that remains hidden within my being, appear before me in shape and form. Fallen brother, Dark Mousy. Be released!"

After he spoke the words, the room remained quiet. Daisuke opened his eyes slowly and looked around in front of him. Nothing had happened, his heart dropping in his chest. Just then Dark started to laugh in his thoughts, a blush of embarrassment falling on Daisuke's cheeks.

~Oh man, you looked so serious!~

Daisuke pouted. "I was being serious!" He bawled his fists. "That was mean!"

~You have to admit, I got you good!~

He sat back down on the bed, a look of defeat plastered on his face. "I really thought that something would actually happen."

~Well, you're not nervous anymore. You've seemed to have calmed down now.~

The child looked down at his hands in his lap, going quiet. Dark was right. He didn't appreciate the joke, but at least he knew that Dark was really trying to be there for him. He ran his fingers through his hair, leaning forward on his knees. "Well, I better head downstairs. Mom might let me watch a movie while dinner was cooking."

He got up and stopped, the sound of the bed continued to creak. A familiar voice filled his ears from behind, causing him to pale slightly.

"Come on Daisuke. You think I was going to let -nothing- happen?"

He quickly turned and locked eyes with familiar violet eyes, but now there was a human face included in the package. There, sitting with his legs crossed was a young man with long dark purple locks that framed his face. He was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt that was unbuttoned, exposing his slightly tanned and toned chest. He wore black cargo pants and was barefoot, giving the child a small smile. The redhead went wide-eyed and squeaked in surprise. The man placed a finger on the childs lips, hushing him, causing him to blush even further.

"Don't want to spook your mother, remember."

"D-Dark?" Daisuke whispered.

The man winked, "Nice to finally see you face-to-face."

* * *

It was another school day like the rest of them. The sound of the twittering and chirping of birds was a sure sign of spring. The snows of winter were now slush piles and large puddles that children took leisure of splashing and playing in them during recess, lunch, and even after school. More and more students were spending their time outside in the sunshine, while only a few stayed inside at the library working on school projects or studying, even after school was over.

"Hiwatari?"

Satoshi Hiwatari looked up from his novel he was reading, closing the book and remained stoic. He regularly spent some time after school reading in the quiet confines of the library. He recognized who was speaking to him as Ms. Tekako, a teacher he had for some of his subjects the year before. He had grown accustomed to talking with teachers on a regular basis. His teacher would volunteer him down to the lower grades to help with tutoring when he was asked. He didn't really mind the opportunity, in fact he took some enjoyment of being able to get out on his own during class time. She walked towards him with a small smile on her face, looking as calm and kind as always.

"Tekako-sensei, hello." he said politely, straightening his glasses. "How are you today?"

"Very well, thank you." she replied, holding a clipboard in her hands. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all, Sensei. What is it?"

She handed him the clipboard with a list of names of students. He assumed that it was kids from her class, recognizing some of the names from his junior. "I was wondering if you would like to help me this year for being a reading partner for one of my students. I have some marked that haven't got a buddy yet. Would you be interested?"

He looked down the list, crossing out the kids that he knew that were younger than him and didn't really care for them. He stopped when he got to one particular name, sparking some interest. "Tekako-sensei, what about Daisuke Niwa?"

Ms. Tekako nodded, looking at the list herself with a small frown. "I'm afraid that the older kids prefer to find someone other than him. He's done well for most of his homework, but he does struggle with a few things since his absence. The poor dear, he tries really hard, but he's got a good heart."

'Indeed,' Hiwatari thought to himself.

He had noticed the boy a few years before when the redhead was entering grade school. He was a small little thing, always being the center of attention, mostly from bullies who took pleasure preying on the weak. Hiwatari always observed from a distance, intrigued at the fact that no matter how scraped or bruised the child had gotten, he would always have a smile on his face afterwards. He was found out by the little redhead, seeing the boy wave to him when Satoshi would observe him from afar. But it didn't seem to mind the kid. But then Niwa was gone, vanished. Hiwatari had later found out that Daisuke had to remain at home because of illness. It almost made him sad that his little piece of entertainment had gone from school. Since then the lavender-haired boy kept to himself and his books, putting more time into his studies instead of attempting any kind social activity with his fellow peers.

So it came to a surprise to him when he found Daisuke in the bathroom a few weeks prior. He wasn't aware that the child had returned, which almost made him happy for the sudden interaction. But this time the redhead was different. Satoshi couldn't really put his finger on it, especially on the fact that his eyes were different from what Hiwatari had known. He even researched possible medications that would lead to possible changes of eye color, and came up with nothing. This posed further questions. Unfortunately, Daisuke would always slip out of his view before Hiwatari could go and confront him. Another obstacle was that Daisuke remained in the classroom during breaks with Ms. Tekako for the moment, so it was impossible to get him alone. Now this was a possible chance.

"I'll help him, Tekako-sensei." Satoshi said flatly. "If he needs help with other subjects I will tutor him. If there's time during or after school for him to do so."

"Well, if it's okay with you, do you mind coming to my classroom at lunch hour?"

'Perfect.' He gave a small nod. "If it helps you, sensei. I don't mind. I usually spend most of my time here anyway."

Ms. Tekako smiled, writing down his name on the clipboard. "That would help me out alot Hiwatari, thank you." She gave him a small bow. "I will talk with your teacher to schedule a reading time during class starting next week. As for tutoring, you can start next week too if you're not too busy."

"That's fine." he began to flip through the novel his was reading to the page he was on. "Just let me know what he is having trouble with first and I will be there."

"Thank you, Hiwatari. I really appreciate it."

He gave her one final nod and she made her way towards the library exit. He went back to reading, adjusting his glasses again. 'No sensei, thank you.'

.o~End of Chapter 11~o.

I guess I had alot of pent up thoughts about this story. It's only been over a week and I've put out 6 chapters. I apologize to everyone who has waited this long for these updates. I am happy to see that people do continue reading it. I thank all the people who have taken the time to read each chapter, and have commented on them.


	12. Discoveries

A/N: I don't own DN Angel.

.o~Chapter 12- Discoveries~o.

Looking back at him with the dimly-lit violet eyes that he had grown accustomed to in his thoughts was Dark, his mind reeling. No words passed between them for a few minutes after his initial appearance, both of them just staring at each other. Dark just sat there quietly, waiting for the child to recollect his thoughts.

"D-Dark..." Daisuke repeated softly, unsure to say anything else.

Dark smiled a little. "Yes Daisuke. We've already established that."

The redhead broke his gaze and looked down at his feet, his fingers to his lips where Dark had touched before. "How are you here? I mean, outside of my body? Does this mean-"

"Don't you think you've interrogated me enough at this point?" Dark asked sarcastically, chuckling a little.

"I'm sorry..."

Dark moved to the edge of the bed looking down at the boy. He tilted his head to the side so he could find Daisuke's gaze again. "It's alright Dai. I was only kidding." he moved his hand under the redhead's chin and lifted slowly, locking his eyes with his vessel once again. "This is merely temporary, I can't hold this form unless you want to start getting tired again. I'm still bound to you. If you concentrate enough you can see that I'm still connected to you quite firmly."

Daisuke looked around, narrowing his eyes to look to see if there was something there. He began to notice thin filaments of blackened energy floating between the two of them, showing that they were indeed attached to each other. When he went back to look at Dark, the strings of energy disappeared from his vision. The boy blinked a few times and shook his head, surprised by all he was seeing. Dark watched his reaction, sitting back down for a moment and rested his head in his hand with a small smile playing on his lips. He began to slide off the bed towards Daisuke, the redhead taking a few startled steps back, looking at the other in awe. Dark was significantly taller than the child, strands of purple hair fell around his face as he looked down towards him. He knelt down to one knee just so he was relatively level with the kid.

"There's no need to be nervous, we've been together for awhile now." Dark said in a calm tone. "I won't bite."

Daisuke reached out towards Dark, his fingers wrapping around a lock of hair, giving it a slight tug. It felt soft to the touch, slipping out of his hand easily"I didn't get a good look at you when the storm happened. Seeing you here now, it's different." The redhead continued to examine his other, making sure he got a clear picture. "It's nice to finally see who you really are."

Dark chuckled again. "Well, it's nice not to be battered and broken like I was, or just a wisp of what was left of me." He paused for a moment, placing his hands lightly onto the boys shoulders, pulling him close.

Daisuke let out a small squeak in surprise, feeling Dark's arms wrap around him as he gave the child a hug. He completely froze in the embrace, noticing something strange about Dark. The boy realized that he couldn't feel body temperature, or that Dark wasn't breathing, or even have a heartbeat. There was nothing there but the sense of touch, making Daisuke aware that the other was indeed present. The young man hugged the child firmly, resting his head on the redheads shoulder.

"Thank you, Daisuke. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Forgive my mistakes that I have placed on you."

"I-I...uhm."

Dark released the boy, looking at himself. "That was too forward of me, my bad."

Daisuke shook his head. "No, Dark. Don't worry about it. It's just..."

"I don't feel like I'm really alive, right?"

The boy nodded. Dark smiled and sat back down on the edge of the bed. "I'm still only a soul, and this is only a projection of me through you. Yes, you can feel me here, but I'm still not really here. I am still a part of your mind, body, and soul. As cliche as that sounds."

Daisuke gave a nod, but started to waver where he stood. He held the side of the head, a slight throb pulsating through his temples. Dark gave the boy a concerned look, taking the boys hand in his.

"I think it's time that I should disappear for now. Anymore time like this and you might be back on your bed out cold. I wouldn't want your mother finding you like that."

"Wait!" Daisuke stammered, causing Dark to raise an eyebrow. "Will we be able to do this again?"

"Now you're the one confusing me." Dark stated, letting go of the boys hand. "I don't get you sometimes, kid. One moment you're mad at me and the next you want me here. What's the deal?"

"Dark..." Daisuke murmured. "...you know it's hard for me to understand everything what is going on with me, you, us. But it's going to happen no matter how frustrated or confused I may be. But you've answered my questions as best as you can. You've always helped me when I needed it. Sure I'm not going to get everything you're telling me, but you're honest. I appreciate that. Having you here in front of me is new. But finally getting to see you in person makes me feel happy." Daisuke gave a small giggle. "Even more so you're not imaginary."

"I thought I made that pretty clear, Daisuke."

"I know! I know." the boy gave his other a small smile. "I guess it's just, I'm still unsure of it all."

Dark shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kid, you're too hard on my head sometimes."

"What do you..." Daisuke leaned over to one side, Dark quickly grabbing the boys shoulders to stay upright, but his form began to fade slightly in front of the redhead. "...nevermind."

The young man gave one final smile, slowly disappearing right in front of Daisuke's eyes. The boy faltered but regained his balance. He looked around, now the only physical being in the room as he composed himself, heading downstairs slowly towards the kitchen, the smell of supper filling his nostrils. He felt slightly fatigued by the experience, but this new development actually sparked his own curiosity, despite his own fears. Dark remained in the back of Daisuke's mind with the whole scenario that had taken place, keeping quiet while Daisuke was with his mother, refraining from interrupting their evening.

* * *

Later that night, Daisuke was wide-awake in his bed. He stared at his ceiling, stewing in his own mixture of emotions after his new encounter with the man that's been inside his body this whole time. He wrapped his arms around himself and rolled to the side, now looking out the window. He could hear the slight whistle of the wind outside, the sound of a car or two driving by his house, nothing out of the ordinary. But for himself, the boy wondered what else he could possibly do, or become. The night he had began the transformation had scared him, but the thought of having these powers almost felt like he was becoming like a superhero. And being able to see Dark, to -actually- have him there in person made his heart skip a beat. It left him relatively conflicted of the whole ordeal. Thinking about it, Dark had reassured him before about everything. If something were to go wrong, Dark would be there if he needed him.

The boy listened for his mother in the next room, unsure of what time it really was. He couldn't hear anything through the thin walls, hoping that she was asleep as he sat up, putting his hands in his lap. He closed his eyes and concentrated, curious if he could call on the energy once again, also wondering if there was an actual name to call them. To be fair he didn't really know if he was doing it correctly, or if there was some proper way to do so. He knew Dark would be there to answer his question, but he wanted to see for himself.

'Energy...or whatever you are, please come back.' he thought to himself, slowly opening his eyes.

At first everything was completely black, the headlights of a car drove past, illuminating one of the walls in the room and then faded away, the darkness remaining. He continued to concentrate, looking around for a hint of what he was searching for. He blinked a few times, feeling like something was in his eyes and he rubbed them, looking again. In the night he saw something appear floating in the air around his bed frame, his heart quickened in excitement. He had hoped it was the same yellow glow that he had seen before. He tried to focus, the glow beginning to spread around him as multiple strings of light swirled around him, causing him to catch his breath and scamper back to the middle of the mattress. The energy continued to circle the bed in a cylinder from the ceiling to the floor, lighting up the area around his bed.

~Beautiful, isn't it?~ Dark said quietly, causing Daisuke to jump.

The redhead took a deep breath, his voice almost a whisper "Yes, it's really pretty." he leaned back onto the headboard, his pillow in his arms as he continued to watch the lights. "It's quite calming."

~Can't sleep?~

Daisuke shook his head. "After what happened today I don't think that I could sleep." He leaned his head back. "This is actually pretty neat to be honest."

~Well, we can do some pretty neat things, despite what we are.~ Dark chuckled. ~The energy around you can be used for many different things, depending on what you want to use it for. As you can see it appears when you call it, and disappears into hiding when not needed.~

"Where does it go?"

~Well, it's a part of the earth, so it doesn't really go anywhere. It remains to bring the world life. So you could say that it hides in the fabric of space until it's needed.~

Daisuke scratched the side of his head. "I don't really quite get it."

Dark laughed. ~It is kind of complicated. But remember that it's always there. Some places has more energy than others, like in forests and nature. There's a limited supply in, for example, cities.~

"So when you travel you need to take breaks?"

~Yeah. When I needed to go long distances I would have to make several pit stops. It's hard to hide sometimes in parks. Children are too curious for their own good when they're playing hide 'n seek nearby. But when I find a secluded patch of forest in the middle of nowhere, it's like heaven on earth. The whole place glows bright with energy. It's really amazing to watch in the night.~

"I bet." he reached out to the lights, not quite in range just yet. "Will they zap me like before if I try to touch them?"

~I doubt it. You were low so they had to...jump start you. Like a car. Now that you're more alert than before, it shouldn't shock your system. Pun intended.~

Daisuke rolled his eyes, his fingers grazing the sea of energy. He felt the strings slip through his fingers, the warmth emanating from his fingertips and up his hand. He smiled a little, the energy rippling slightly with his movements. It wasn't scary, it felt almost familiar to him. He pulled his hand back slowly, some of the strings lingering and spiralling around his palm. They twisted and turned over his hand, glowing brighter than the rest of the energy swirling around the bed.

"Dark? Are you doing anything?"

Dark whistled innocently. ~No? What would give you that impression.~

"Dark...?"

~Okay, yes. I myself might be experimenting through you. To be honest I didn't think I could. Trust me, I wouldn't do anything that might backfire without you knowing.~

"Of course I would know. We're together aren't we?"

~That was my point.~

"Oh." he continued to look at the lights circling his fingers. "So this means that I can help gather energy quicker if I can do this."

~Not necessarily. Your body doesn't need as much as I do. So we will have to take things in small doses. If you take in too much you might fry your system, and that would be bad.~

Daisuke gulped, gazing at the energy nervously. "T-Then maybe I should put this back?"

~If you want to.~

"I don't want to, 'fry my system', like you said."

~Well, if you don't need it to help your body, use it for other things.~

The boy blinked. "Like what?"

Dark took a moment to think. ~A simple light source is a start. You can us the energy to make a physical entity. With just the two of us being here in the bedroom seems private enough. Might need to close the curtain just in case people do see it. Want to give it a go?~

"Okay. Let me just get up and..." he trailed off, watching awestruck. The moment he thought about the curtains, some of the energy around his bed floated towards the worn fabric, closing the curtains slowly without him getting up off his bed. His eyes went wide and his mouth agape. "...did you just do that?"

Dark chuckled. ~Nope, that wasn't me. Scouts honor.~

"That was m-me?" his heart began to quicken in his chest, some of the energy sparking with life in his hand. He looked down and saw the change, beginning to panic, "Whoa! E-Easy! I'm not ready!"

~Calm down Daisuke. You need to relax.~

The redhead pulled his hand away from his body, taking several deep breaths to slow his pulse as best as he could. He watched the sparks begin to simmer, the energy returning to weaving its way though his fingers. "The energy reacted to me so easily."

~You seem to have a strong connection with it, yes. It's probably because of me. I was pretty good at my abilities thank you very much.~

"Enough to get you injured?"

~Ouch. That one struck home.~

"Sorry, that was rude of me."

~Well, in a way you are right. I took it for granted. I'll be honest, I thought I was the best at what I did, but I guess that ideal led me here.~

Daisuke nodded. "So, what do I do?"

~Make a clear image in your mind of what you want. Just tell it what it needs to do. The energy will do the rest.~

The redhead closed his eyes, concentrating on the energy in his hand. Unbeknownst to him the rest of the energy faded around him, except for the strings of light that now moved to his palm. He took slow deep breaths, picturing something small, like a marble. In reaction, the energy began to spin into a sphere and condensed in his hand, forming a small floating orb. He imagined the ball flickering to life, shining brightly. He noticed something happening behind his eyelids and cracked an eye open, almost blinded by the light the orb in his hand was emanating.

He covered his eyes with his other hand and looked away, whining loudly, doing his best not to yell in surprise. 'Too bright! Too bright! Dark I'm going to go blind! Help!'

In reaction, the orb dimmed quickly. It now was a bright as a glowstick in the dark, floating in the air a few inches from his hand. Dark merely chuckled as the redhead moved his hand away from his face. ~I think you may have overdid it for your first time.~

Daisuke watched in awe, watching the orb curiously once his eyes didn't have dots blurring his vision. There in his hand was something that wouldn't naturally occur in normal life, just floating in mid-air. He couldn't believe it at first, but there it was. It continued to glow dimly, lighting up his bedsheets and pillow, casting some shadows around the bed.

He whispered softly. "I made this? This, this is amazing."

~That's not all you can do. This is nothing. I can teach you how to do other things too, Daisuke. But we will have to take it slow. We can't go overboard, especially if we don't want to get caught.~

Daisuke nodded. He knew that this would have to be a secret. As much as he wanted to tell his mother all this time, he respected Dark's apprehension to be discovered. This would have to be hidden from everyone on both sides, Dark's Clan, and other people. This was very taboo to the Clan, and humans wouldn't understand it.

The redhead concentrated again. This time to let the orb disappear and return to the energy it was before. He watched as the orb dimmed and faded into nothing, the room returning to the darkness it once was. He touched his hand where the energy was, a small smile on his lips as he pulled the covers on top of him and grabbed his pillow and slipped it under his head and closed his eyes.

Dark was relieved that the boy was warming up to him again, and things were starting to go back to normal between the both of them. He felt Daisuke`s emotions flicker through him, making him relax for now. Things were starting to slowly come together between them, which made Dark happy.

~Good night Daisuke.~ Dark said softly.

"Night Dark..." Daisuke yawned, now feeling like he should be able to sleep until morning.

.o~End of Chapter 12~o.

There you go everyone. Another chapter! I took some time off from the story to recollect my thoughts on the story. Please read and review, I love seeing input, no matter what it is. :)


	13. A Walk in The Park

I don't own DN Angel, the story is mine though. :) Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it! Sorry for the long wait!

Chapter 13- A Walk in the Park

"Daisuke?"

The boy stirred from his slumber, "Hhnnn?"

Emiko shook the boy a little. "Come on Dai, wake up. You've almost slept through the entire morning."

The boys eyes fluttered open, letting out a soft yawn. "M-Momma?" He rolled over, looking up at her.

"It's alright. You didn't come down for breakfast so I came up and found you still in bed." she said, rubbing his cheek. "Did you sleep alright?"

He shook his head, "No, I was up most of the night." he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Is there still time for cereal?"

His mother chuckled, "It's almost time for lunch at this point my dear." She stood up, ruffling his hair. "Get up and get dressed. I will make something for you. How does grilled cheese sound?"

He nodded, giving her a grin. "Yes please!"

"Then get up and brush your teeth." she said, pulling away the bedsheets. "I already found something for you to wear."

Daisuke scrambled for the blankets, whining softly. "Mmmm...but the bed feels so warm..."

Emiko pounced and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him out of bed. "Come on you little rascal." she let out a short grunt and pulled, staggering as she had him in his arms.

The redhead looked up concerned, noticing that his mother was off balanced for a moment before standing up with him trapped. "Mom? Are you alright?"

She looked down and laughed. "You're getting too big for me to carry you, I don't think I can call you 'little' anymore." She held him close, tickling his sides, "I might have to start calling you my 'chubby' Daisuke."

He squirmed, a faint blush of embarrassment glowing on his cheeks. "Iie! Don't say that Momma!" he whined trying to push away her arms to get free.

His mother nuzzled his hair, "Don't worry Dai, you will always be my little angel." she kissed his head and set him down. "Hmm...I might have to measure how tall you've gotten."

Daisuke blinked. "What? Why?" he looked down confused.

"Come to the door frame and I will show you. May I borrow a pencil?"

Daisuke nodded, walking over to his book bag and dug inside of it for a small pencil case and pulled out a pencil, jogging over to his mother and stood with his back to the door frame where all the marks of previous ages were labelled. He always felt disheartened when his height was measured. While other kids his age were going through the same grades as he was, the majority of them were significantly taller than he was. He had his eyes closed as he felt Emiko press down on his spiky dishevelled bedhead, the sound of the graphite scraping against the wood while his mother quietly worked.

He opened an eye, looking up at her. "Momma?"

She stared at the frame, a look of surprise upon her face. "W-Well..." she said, a smile creeping up on her face. "Take a look Dai."

He turned, looking at the mark and went wide-eyed. A large gap between now and a half a year ago and now was a significant growth spurt. It must have happened very recently; his doctors would've mentioned it earlier if it were the case. He didn't notice it before that he was taller, and it came to a big surprise when he could see it plain as day. His mother ruffled his hair, letting a small giggle.

"I'm bigger now!" he said, laughing as he danced around his mother happily. "I will be able to take care of Momma now!"

"You still have a long way to go before you become the big man of the house while Papa is away." she said calmly while she lightly poked his nose. "Hurry up now! We don't want to keep the grilled cheese waiting."

"Yay! Grilled cheese! Grilled cheese!" he chanted, bounding towards the bathroom.

Emiko crossed her arms, a hand cradling her cheek as she smiled a little. 'Kouske, I wish you were home. You're missing your little boy grow up so fast.'

Moments later Daisuke came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush shoved into his mouth. His speech was muffled with the frothing toothpaste that was now trailing down his chin, "Momma...can you brush my hair? It's all tangly."

His mother chuckled, shooing him back towards the sink. 'Okay, maybe not too fast.'

* * *

Daisuke bit into the cheesy goodness that was his sandwich while he sat at the kitchen table. He chewed happily as he dipped the grilled cheese into the ketchup, getting it ready for another round. Emiko was working by the stove, pulling a glass out from the cupboard and filled it up with milk, setting it next to his plate.

"So I got a call from the doctors office this morning. Dr. Musashi has reassured me that we don't have to visit as often now that the tests have come back in the clear." his mother commented.

Daisuke perked up mid-bite, looking at her. "Does this mean that we won't have to visit today?"

She smiled. "Nope, today is all for you. So, is there anything that you want to do? We can stay inside and watch cartoons? We could go to the mall and get some new clothes since you've grown so much...?"

Daisuke paused, giving it some thought. After what happened last night he was interested in practising some more with his new found abilities. But having to wait until nightfall would start to be a problem. He wanted to find some place secluded but not far to make his mother worry. He bit his lip, unsure of what to do.

~Daisuke?~ Dark finally piped up.

'I don't want to get caught, but-'

"Dai? Are you okay?" she asked, turning away from her cooking. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I was only suggesting..."

"No Momma, I want to do something." he said quickly. He watched some of the ketchup drip back onto the plate, trying to think of an idea. "Can I...go to the playground?"

Emiko frowned a little. "I don't know Daisuke. I will come with you-"

"I will be okay." he cut in, doing his best not to sound desperate. "It's not far from our house; you can see it from the back door, right?"

"Well, yes. But-"

"And I won't be alone. If it's later now other kids will be there too. If something happens, I will make sure to run home or to Mr. Tomori's."

"But I shouldn't let you go off on your own. I'm afraid something may go wrong."

"I won't take long, I promise." He wiped his mouth with his hand, the crumbs sticking to his cheeks. "Pretty please? Just for a couple of minutes? I will go straight there and back." He raised his crumb filled fist, his pinky sticking out and smiled. "Pinky swear."

His mother felt a pang of guilt while he looked at her. She fretted over her son, even more so that there was a chance now after such a long time he was more lively and healthy. She was afraid to let him go out on his own, but she didn't want to get rid of that grin that plastered his face. Emiko let out a long sigh, walking over to his seat and blew some of the crumbs off his finger, taking his pinky with her own.

"You leave through the back gate and take the dirt path straight there. No running off in any other direction that I can't see. You have one hour, and I will be checking from time to time. You keep an eye on the clock when you get there and come right back when the hour is done. Understood?"

Daisuke nodded, finishing his sandwich quickly. "I will Momma."

She wiped his dirtied hand with a towel. "Go wash up before you head outside. Make sure you still have your mittens and a scarf. It's not quite spring yet, I don't want you catching a chill."

"I will Momma" he said happily. He took the glass and drank quickly, slipping out of his chair and scurried to the kitchen sink, washing his hands.

A few minutes later, Daisuke was pulling on his shoes and zipped up his jacket. He nearly skipped towards the back door with his mother in tow. She put on slip-ons and led him out the door to the back fence gate. She unlatched it, Daisuke looking at the path his mother was talking about. A well walked trail from neighbours behind the houses led straight up through a patch of trees towards the park. Even though they were on the corner of the street, people would take this path through behind their house instead of the main gate to the playground.

"Go on," his mother stated. "Your time starts now."

"See you in a bit Momma!" he said, nearly running down the path like she just released a small beast.

Daisuke heard of the squish of the muddy ground, slowing his pace. He followed near the trail on the grass where he wasn't quickly getting dirty. He had spent some time when he was younger playing at the playground with his mother, but the environment felt different somehow. He felt like he was linked to the environment around him, the ground, the trees, even the air. It was something he had never experienced before until now. Even in the cold of the breeze tickling his face he could feel warmth inside of him.

He made it to the play area, a small clearing surrounded by trees. The sun shone overhead illuminating the park. There were a few swing sets, a jungle gym, benches and a couple of sandboxes still damp from slush and snow. He could see on the other side of the playground there were a few kids kicking a ball around, not paying him any mind. He looked back down the path and saw that his mother was still standing by the gate. He couldn't see if she was happy to see him out and about or worried that he was going to hurt himself.

~Is she just going to stand there the whole hour?~ Dark asked, almost sarcastic.

'I'm not sure at this point,' Daisuke thought. 'I hope she doesn't. I'll start worrying about her catching a cold instead.' He looked at the washroom area, seeing a large digital clock that showed the time. 'What should we do?'

~Act normal. Make sure your mother gets the hint that you're safe.~

Daisuke found a swing set that was in view of the trail, hopping into one of the seats. He was still short enough that he had to pull himself into the apparatus, his feet dangling high above the sand. The boy leaned back and kicked forward to get some momentum to move the swing on his own. He didn't want to go too high, just enough to show his mother that he was playing. He looked towards the path again to see that his mother had disappeared back inside. He let out a sigh of relief, letting the swing move on its own while he gripped the chains.

'You're really quiet today,'

~I felt that it was impolite.~ Dark muttered quietly, ~I try and do my best not to interfere with your time with your family.~

The redhead thought about it. Dark considered his Clan as his family. Could it be that he was getting homesick? Not being able to return because of the immediate situation left Daisuke rather disheartened of that fact. He stared at the sand while the swing swayed lazily. He was the only thing in Dark's life currently, and he was confused as to what to do.

~If you're concerned about me, don't be.~

'I-I...huh?'

~You forget that I can sense what you're thinking. I got myself in this remember.~

'R-Right...wait! I mean-'

~It's okay. I know that I am not alone.~ Dark chuckled, ~I have you.~

Daisuke's cheeks flushed, unsure of what to say after that. He let the swing stop, looking up at the clouds, breathing in softly as he let his mind wander. It could have been his improved health, the Fallen's power, or something else; but for once he felt free, almost like he could run around with no consequence, no worries, just the feeling of the cool breeze, the laughter of the other children nearby, and the faint smell of spring in the air. He closed his eyes, taking in the simple serenity of it all.

Dark was working on his own thoughts for the moment, letting his vessel feel the freedom of the outdoors fill his senses. He too wanted to feel that bliss, but it was impossible for that to happen. He had to be on alert, keeping an eye out for others that might sense Daisuke's growing abilities. He did his best to protect the boy yesterday without the kid knowing. But he knew that having the both of them in one spot was going to lead to possible danger. It left him conflicted. He would need the train the child as well as try and prevent possible interference of his enemies looking for a new Fallen that has popped in on Earth from nowhere. Eventually his freedom would be compromised; but he prayed that he was wrong in thinking of that idea.

And then his thoughts began to slowly linger to himself. 'I have you'. He meant those words, wholeheartedly. But he didn't know in what way did he mean them. It could mean many different things, but he didn't know which one was the correct one. He liked the child, cared for him, wanted to be near him; but he didn't know if it was just to protect him or was it...more? It left him several nights in the dark, literally and figuratively. A Fallen like him couldn't attach feelings to others unlike him, and even then it was just as a brother, a partner, a teammate. But this, this was new. Could it be that having the boy as a human connection was making him feel such things? And why?

But even so, when all of this was over, Daisuke was still a human kid. He would live like regular humans do, and then pass on. Dark on the other hand would live on; and he accepted that. But the thought of that eventuality left him empty. For the moment those thoughts filled his mind, and for a moment, he was afraid to let the redhead go.

The boy slowly opened his eyes, blinking as he let out a short gasp. 'D-Dark...I-I see them!'

~What do you see?~

The redhead slipped off the swing, looking around him. 'The energy...'

Daisuke looked around in astonishment at the scene unfolding around him. Glowing threads of energy seemed to fade into view below his feet like blanket of golden light. He could see energy twirling and spiralling leisurely in the air around him, moving with the wind. He smiled, feeling the energy emanating around him. He looked over to one of the nearby trees, seeing energy moving like veins up and down the branches and the trunk. It was a breathtaking sight.

~What do you think, Daisuke?~

'You were right, it's really pretty. But I didn't call them. Did you?'

~I didn't.~

The redhead took a small step, his shoe passing through the layer of energy onto the sand. He watched as his action caused the energy to ripple like waves, expanding and disappearing after awhile. It was amazing being able to see another view of the world around him. He looked up towards his house, and then to the city, only seeing a faint aura around the tall buildings in the distance.

'So...the energy that I called last night, some of this was from the park?'

~I would assume so.~

Daisuke smiled, 'It's probably really weird to say, but I guess I should say thanks?'

~If you want to. I don't think that the energy would mind, really. It's not like it's sentient.~

'Sentient?'

~I don't think it would be aware of your thanks. But I guess it wouldn't hurt.~

Daisuke smiled, looking back at the sky, "Thank you..."

"For what, Niwa?" came a new voice from behind him. Daisuke jumped in surprise and whirled around and looked up. His blood turned to ice as he stared wide eyed at the person towering over him.

"F-Fukomachi..."

.o~End of Chapter 13~o.

Sorry for the long wait guys! I've been mulling this over for awhile as to how this story is going to go.

I would liked to ask my readers a moment of your time. I would like to get your input on something. I have introduced Hiwatari as a character in this story and kind of left him on a cliffhanger note. I have an idea of where I would like to take him, but I would liked to ask all of you to see what's your opinion of how his character should be. Possible friend? Antagonist? Or a completely neutral character. He's kind of a wild card character to me. So please PM me of your thoughts, I would love to hear what you guys think.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! I love hearing from you guys. :)


	14. Ignition

Okay, I went over this chapter multiple times to get it in a way that I wanted the story. I swear I rewrote this over and over to finally get it somewhere. I hope everyone likes it! :)

I got some feedback on my question I posted on Chapter 13, I would like a few more comments before I bring Hiwatari back into the story. Please give me your feedback. I would love to hear it.

Anyway, here ya go!

Chapter 14-Ignition

Daisuke took a step back from Fukomachi, the taller boy greeting the redhead with a sneer. His arm was in a sling with a cast wrapped around his hand and forearm. Daisuke bit his lip as Fukomachi spoke, "Hello, little Niwa. It's about time you crawled out of your hole."

~This guy again...crap.~ Dark growled.

Daisuke couldn't hear Dark very well, his focus fixed on Fukomachi. His happy demeanour washed away, now showing a growing fear across his face, "W-What are you doing in this place? This isn't your neighbourhood."

"I can go where I damn well please, you little brat." he said flatly, stepping around the swing. "I don't need to tell you- what the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

The redhead blinked, looking above his senior. His eyes were still able to see the energy around them, the threads of energy swirling around the others face without a passing thought. Fukomachi seemed unfazed by the threads that floated across his line of sight.

'Oh no...my eyes change too?'

~...crap.~

'D-Dark!' he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his eyes going back to normal. He looked back at Fukomachi, who was currently raising an eyebrow in his direction. "There's nothing wrong. M-My eyes are just irritated."

"You're a weird kid, you know that Niwa?" Fukomachi asked, taking another step. This caused Daisuke to take a second step back. "How you managed to dodge and escape me still baffles me. You're just a weak little runt. But you somehow managed to escape me." He looked down at his sling, his gaze becoming darker. "Because of you I haven't been to participate in football practice because of my hand."

"I-It wasn't my fault. You were the one who threw the punch...and missed."

Fukomachi narrowed his eyes, "Excuse me?"

Daisuke took a few more steps and felt something behind him grasping his shoulders, making him jump. He looked up to see two other older boys who he had never seen before, making him panic inside. He tried to move but the pair held him in place, each of them grabbing an arm and a shoulder. The redhead struggled, looking around him and found the usual goons Honda, standing around the trail towards his home and Sho, leaning on one of the metal arches that was the main entrance to the playground. He could see others boys who seemed to appear from the edges of the park, causing his heart to pound as few of them were making their way towards them. The two that had him pinned pretty tight, not letting go.

'W-What do I do...I can't escape now. Everything's being watched and now I'm trapped.'

~Let me take over Dai. I can try and find a means to escape.~

The two boys pushed Daisuke down so he was on his knees. He yelped as the cold, wet grass starting to dampen his pants, making him shiver 'I-I can't. If you take over you might be discovered.'

~But if I don't you'll get hurt. I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen.~

'But Dark-'

"What did you just say, brat?" Fukomachi ordered, grabbing the redhead by the hair, pulling upwards. "Did you say that you were sorry for breaking my hand?"

Daisuke let out a whine, tears prickling his eyes as he felt the pain all the way down his spine. He managed to mutter softly, "It wasn't m-my f-fault."

"What's that?" The older boy leaned in closer, "I don't think I heard you correctly, try again." He twisted on Daisuke's hair again, hearing another whine escape the redheads mouth.

Dark was fuming from within. With Daisuke not wanting to cooperate it left him dead in the water. He didn't like that at all, hearing Daisuke's cries echoing in his own thoughts. Dark knew the redhead was right, but Dark didn't care; the boy needed help again. Plain and simple. Fukomachi was playing dirty, and it angered the Fallen to his core.

~Daisuke, let me out.~

'I-I can't. I won't.'

~Oh, for the love of- why are you being stubborn at a time like this?!~

'I'm sorry- aah!'

~Daisuke!~

Fukomachi had let go of Daisuke's hair and the other two let go of his arms. They watched the boy on his hands and knees, trying to breathe while he choked on air, a hand on his head where his skin burned with pain. Fukomachi didn't give Daisuke much time as he gripped the redhead's jacket, lifting the boy up onto his feet. The older boy glowered at the child. Daisuke closed his eyes, fighting back the tears while he tried his best to keep his lungs from seizing. He grabbed Fukomachi's good wrist with both hands as he weakly struggled. There was now a circle of boys around the two of them, creating a barrier so no one could see what was going on. Some of them chuckled at the scene, watching the helpless child trying to break free.

"Try again, Niwa." Fukomachi stated, his arm with the cast out of the sling. "If you don't do what I ask...this will hurt you more than it will hurt me."

Daisuke opened his eyes a little, watching the older boy raise his other arm, getting ready to backhand the redhead. "P-Please...Fukomachi. Let me go."

"Wrong answer," the elder said low, bringing his arm towards the little one.

'...h-help me.' was all the redhead thought.

Daisuke watched as the arm come down, bracing for the impact. He didn't want to get hurt, knowing that he ignored Dark's request was a big mistake. He begged to be able to defend himself, not wanting Dark to come to his rescue all the time. But as the arm came down, time seemed to slow around the crowd. All of a sudden his body began to feel...warm inside. Something sparked to life as his body began to glow with an eruption of energy; an encircling aura of warm, golden light enveloping his small frame.

Dark snapped out of his anger, feeling the aura come to life from within his vessel's body at an alarming rate. ~Daisuke...~

Fukomachi stopped his advance, looking at the redhead and started to feel something odd about the boy he was holding. His brain began to register pain beginning to sting around his good wrist and quickly let go of the boy and let out a howl, cradling his good arm. The others in the circle were startled at Fukomachi's cry as Daisuke hit the ground.

"Fukomachi? Hey man you okay?" one of them said.

"Dude, what's going on?" called another.

"W-What...the f-fuc..." Fukomachi stammered, looking down to see two small hand prints where Daisuke had touched were severely burned into his flesh. He quickly hid his arm, clenching his teeth as he fell back onto his behind and skittered away, his face covered in anguish. "K-Kuso! What the hell...what did you just do?!"

The redhead's mind was clouding over, unable to take in what had just occurred or how it happened. He looked down at himself, seeing the glowing aura around him, surprised that he wasn't being harmed himself. His looked around to the other kids, his eyes flickering with golden rings around his pupils. The circle of teens were mumbling to themselves and backed away from him, now hovering close to Fukomachi, who currently stared back at him dumbfounded.

Daisuke slowly stood up, taking a staggering step towards them. "F-Fukomachi I-I'm..."

"N-No...get away, you freak! S-Stay away from me..." he said, being pulled to his feet by some of the other kids. He let out a few more curses feeling blisters beginning to surface around his injuries. He remained close to the others, muttering bitterly. "We're done here."

The gang took a few more quick glances towards the redhead before helping Fukomachi out of the playground, unsure as to how and what just happened. The rest of the boys who were on the outskirts looked baffled but followed with the rest of the crowd until Daisuke was the only one left alone in the playground, his body shaking as he kept quiet. His golden aura continued to smoulder around him as he stared down at his hands, his mind now in shock.

The rings in Daisuke's flickered with intensity, unbeknownst to him. He could see the yellow threads of energy being pulled towards him, fuelling the barrier that he had created. His heart pounded uncontrollably while he tried to calm down, but with the events unfolding in his mind he was unable to do so quickly. He kept quiet, his shoulders shaking.

Dark assessed the situation. With Daisuke's powers lashing out like that wasn't any surprise, but it still left him intrigued. There wasn't any control, only a cry for help and the energy responded. He watched in the back of Daisuke's mind, collecting his own thoughts. He noticed the boys silence, hoping that he would get through to him.

~Daisuke...~ Dark said calmly. ~It's alright. It's over.~

The redhead heard his voice echoing in his thoughts. In response he let his hands drop, taking in a shallow breath. He watched the aura die down around him and vanish, his body shuddering as the warmth disappeared, his eyes reverting back to normal. He spoke softly, unable to properly think the words, "D-Did they see..."

~No.~ Dark stated. ~Normal humans are unable to see it unless you physically manifest it.~

"T-Then...what just happened...?"

Dark sighed, ~Let's get you home, then we will talk.~

The boy nodded, turning towards the direction of his house. "S-Sounds good." He slowly made his way back down the path to home, his brain almost on auto-pilot.

* * *

Emiko perked up from her reading when she heard the back door slowly creak open. "Daisuke?" she called, getting up from her chair and went to the door. "The hour isn't up yet. You can still play..."

She trailed off when she found her little boy with a solemn look plastered on his face. She could see that his pants were wet and covered in dirt and grass stains with a few red marks under his chin. Emiko rushed towards him, kneeling in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders, her tone laced with worry. "Dai? Sweetie? Are you hurt?"

The redhead met her eyes, his lip trembling. "Momma..." he quickly wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging tightly. "Momma." he repeated, unable to say anything else while he began to cry.

His mother took the hug, holding him tight while as he sobbed into her shirt. "Shh...it's okay. What's wrong, did you fall?"

Daisuke sniffled, only giving her a small nod. 'I can't tell her.'

~I know.~

Emiko rubbed his back, trying to sooth him. She pulled away when he began to quiet down. He rubbed his nose with his jacket, sniffling again. She gave him a smile, rubbing his cheek. "There we go." she said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Feel better?"

He nodded, his eyes drawn to the floor, "Momma...I'm tired. C-Can I go take a nap?" he asked softly.

She began to unzip his jacket, "Sure huney. After a bath first, okay?"

"O-Okay..."

She took his hand after he untied his shoes, walking with her as Emiko led her son up the stairs towards the bathroom. 'I should have done more checks. He was fine when I saw him, it wasn't that long ago. Something doesn't seem right.'

Daisuke remained quiet all the way up the stairs to the bathroom, taking off his jacket and handing it to his mother. "I think I'm okay for now Momma."

She folded up his jacket in her arms, "Do you want me to get you anything while you're in there sweetheart?"

He shook his head. "N-No..."

"Daisuke."

"I'll be okay."

"Are you sure."

"Yes."

Emiko gave him a frown. "Alright huney." she said, closing the door behind him. "I'll be downstairs."

Daisuke stood by the sink, walking over and sat on the side of the bathtub. He remained quiet, hearing his mothers steps descending the stairs. He folded his arms in front of him, staring down at the tile. He felt empty inside, unsure of what to think or do.

"I-I...didn't mean to hurt him." Daisuke said softly. "I didn't..."

~No Daisuke. You didn't. It's okay.~

"No, it's not." he buried his face in his arms, his shoulders beginning to shake again. "How did I do that?"

Dark let out a slow breath, ~You asked for help, and your abilities reacted. Without proper focus they lashed out at the nearest target, which was Fukomachi.~

His breathing hitched, the image of the bully flashed in his mind: holding onto him, and then soon after he was on the ground with burns where Daisuke had touched. He whimpered softly, the tears threatening to come out again. He felt fear beginning to rise inside of him once again, this time it was directed towards himself. Dark began to sense the change, grunting in frustration.

~Daisuke. There's no reason for you to feel this way.~

"I-I can't help it."

~Yes, you can! He had his goons with him. You were the one in the right. Your control of your powers is still weak, but they responded because you were in danger. You didn't want me to be discovered, so your body reacted on its own. This isn't your fault Daisuke! Stop blaming yourself for of that idiotic simpleton!~

Daisuke flinched at Darks words, holding his head in his hands. He could feel Dark's anger through his words, and it stung hard in his chest. Dark on the other hand took a moment to calm down; his own emotions getting the better of him. Dark let out a sigh, the edge of his tone lessened.

~I can help you prevent it from happening again.~

The redhead looked up from his hands, rubbing his face once again. He walked back to the sink, pulling up his stool and stood on it, looking into the mirror. He continued to stare at it, looking into his own eyes.

"Please..." was the only thing he said, his mind focusing on Dark.

Dark felt a sudden tug, being pulled in a direction as he manifested behind the boy in a physical body once again. He hid his startled reaction and looked up at the mirror, surprised that he could see himself in the reflection. Daisuke jumped in surprise, looking behind him to see the Fallen looking back at him. The redhead didn't leave any time to think as he threw himself at Dark, hugging him as best as he could. Being the only one who knew of what actually happened, the redhead was hoping to get some comfort. He couldn't feel much of anything from his other, but to have him there to hold onto was more than enough for the moment. Dark was stunned for a second at the new weight that was pressed on his chest, but then wrapped his arms around his vessel, rubbing his back.

"P-Please..." Daisuke begged softly. "D-Don't let it happen again, Dark. I don't want to hurt anyone again."

"I won't." he stated, resting his head on his soft, spiky locks. He remained there, rocking back and forth a little to calm the child, "I promise."

Daisuke closed his eyes, feeling slightly relieved to hear those words. A light rosy tint spread across his cheeks as Dark continued to hold him. Things might have gone differently if he had chosen to let Dark take over, but he didn't want his other to be spotted. He was his friend, and he didn't want to lose him. He knew that he made a bad choice, but at this point he was doing his best to protect Dark as best as he could. This was his way of helping Dark, even though he hurt someone.

'This feels...nice.' Daisuke thought, still hugging Dark. 'Thank you, Dark.'

Dark mentally froze, hearing his vessels words echo in his thoughts. Something inside his very soul seemed to melt to those words, making him want to hold the boy tighter in his embrace. He resisted the urge, pulling away and gave Daisuke a smile, noticing the blush. He noted to himself that Daisuke probably didn't know that he was still projecting his thoughts to him.

'What...is this feeling?' Dark thought, masking his thoughts. 'I can't...quite describe this...'

Daisuke looked away, trying to hide the rest of his growing blush. "I uh...better start the bath. I-I guess."

"Oh. Yes, right." Dark said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess now that I'm out here, I will give you some privacy. If you're tired though I will disappear back inside."

"N-No, it's okay. This is only the second time that you've had physical form. And the last one doesn't really count because you were only out for a few minutes. It's practice I guess."

'Third, but he doesn't need to know that.' "Heh, alright. But don't hesitate to say something, okay?"

Daisuke nodded, stepping off his stool and looked up at his other, turning his back to him. "No peeking, though."

Dark chuckled, turning on a heel and looked away, giving the redhead as much privacy as he possibly could. This was a normal routine for him at this point. There were limits that he placed on himself, Daisuke's shame was one of them. But being out in the open like this with the redhead made it pretty hard not to look behind him. He blinked and shook his head, fighting his own thoughts.

'He's still a child. A male child. I'm older, way older. No way...'

But he heard a garment fall, causing him to swallow hard. He turned slowly, looking behind him. 'What is wrong with me?' he fought with himself, 'This kid just went through a very traumatic experience in his life and you're trying to see him naked? Snap out of it!'

He was about to face the wall again when something caught his eye. At first he shrugged it off but he noticed something on Daisuke's upper back, causing him to pale internally.

'The rash...it's coming back...'

.o~End of Chapter 14~o.

Thanks for reading! Please R&R! :)


	15. Let it Out

This chapter took longer than I intended. Please comment people! I love hearing criticism on my work here. :) Tell me what you think!

Chapter-15 Let it Out

Daisuke made it through the rest of the day with his mother. Once he was finished his bath, Dark disappeared without a word. Both of them remained quiet, trying to get through the day as normal as possible. The boy never noticed anything different, and to Dark he was unsure if he would be able to do something about it after what had already taken place. He didn't want to give the kid anymore surprises for the moment. It was possible that it could be dealt with later in the evening, or so he hoped. The redhead proceeded to stick beside Emiko, distracting himself from the events that had occurred in the afternoon. His mother never questioned him, leaving her son be.

Daisuke made it past supper, sitting in the living room watching some shows on the television, unconsciously moving his back against the fabric of the sofa. He watched the screen, rubbing the back of his neck once in awhile. Emiko turned, taking note of his actions.

"Daisuke? Are you alright?" his mother asked, noticing his fidgeting.

He stopped and looked at her, lowering his hand. "Yeah?"

"You were squirming in your seat. Did you want to say something?"

"I-I was?" he asked, not realizing. He looked behind him confused. The room seemed to get hot, the temperature of his body increasing. 'Dark?'

~Daisuke, we gotta get upstairs. Now.~

'But what-'

~Now.~

"Dai? If you wanted a snack I can get you something-"

The redhead slipped off the sofa, shaking his head. "N-No, I just remembered that I should work on my homework." His mind began to notice the irritation crawling over his back, the itch becoming more and more pronounced.

"But it's only Saturday night. I can help you with it tomorrow if you like-"

He felt a wave of heat wash over him, causing him to falter in step. "I-It's okay. I want to do it now."

She sat up straight in her chair, not entirely convinced. "Daisuke, is something wrong?"

He shook his head, "N-No..."

"Dai...if there's something bothering you, you know you can tell me, right?"

"I said no! There's nothing wrong! Okay?" he snapped, his emotions getting the better of him. He bawled his fists, looking at her with a mild glare.

Emiko blinked in surprise, not seeing this side of her son before. She leaned back in her chair, remaining in a calm state. "Alright Daisuke. Go to your room."

Daisuke took a moment and was also surprised, realizing that he just lashed out at his mother for no reason. He bit his lip, turning away and quickly ran upstairs without another word, slamming the door behind him. Another wave of heat enveloped him and he slid to the floor, panting softly while his heart pounded in his chest. He tried to move, but it felt like his body was drained, remaining limp, unable to get to the nagging itch continuing to spread to his shoulders and lower back.

~Daisuke...~ Dark spoke in a soft tone.

The redhead stared at the floor. 'What's happening to me Dark? I can't move.'

~It's the transformation again. What happened at the park today may have broken the seal.~

'C-Can...can you make it go away again?' Daisuke pleaded, letting out a soft whine.

~Even if I did, this would continue to happen again and again, and more often.~ Dark explained, sighing. ~As I explained before, I'm just delaying the inevitable here.~

'And you trying to separate from me...'

~Will possibly kill you.~

'...great.' he muttered, his heart sinking.

~What do you purpose I do? I can try and make another seal...~

Daisuke rested his head against the door. 'I don't know...I just don't know.' He tried his best to rub against the wood, trying to relieve the itch, letting out a wince. 'I-It's starting to hurt.'

~I know...~ he grunted.

'I'm sorry.'

Dark let out a short chuckle. ~What could you possibly be sorry for?~

'I hoped to have this remain a secret, and as hard as I try, the more things keep happening to me.'

~It's not your fault. This was my doing, remember?~

'Yes, but you didn't expect these things to occur. I know that.' He tried to get his feet underneath him, his body heavy.

~You shouldn't move Daisuke. You're going to overexert yourself that way.~

'I don't want this to happen while sitting here on the floor. I want to get to my bed.'

"Then let me help you."

Daisuke looked up, seeing a silhouette of the person in front of him. Dark's violet eyes smouldering with a purple hue in the dark room. The elder of the two leaned down, rubbing the redheads heated cheek. Daisuke let out a small mewling sound at the touch, closing his eyes and leaned into the hand, feeling helpless.

"Come on, let's get you over to the bed." Dark said softly, slipping his arms underneath the boys legs and around his back, being as gentle as he possibly could. "Ready?"

"Uh huh..." Daisuke grunted, his mind in a daze.

Dark lifted the small boy effortlessly, cradling him bridal style over to the worn mattress. He could sense Daisuke's body getting ready for the change as he walked, feeling his own guilt rising inside of his form. The redhead rested his head on the others shoulder, unable to move for the moment. He could feel his body increasing in heat, his clothes getting uncomfortable to wear. When Dark set him down his back arched, two lumps beginning to show themselves underneath the shirt. The familiar golden aura of energy began to flicker to life around the small frame, giving off a dim light.

"D-Dark..." Daisuke cried softly, pulling at his own shirt. "It's too hot, I need this off."

"But Daisuke-"

"Please, help me."

Dark couldn't resist the plea, giving him a nod. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he propped his vessel up on the side of the bed, pulling up on the garment and looked away. He managed to get the shirt off without looking at the half-naked boy in front of him, setting it aside. He just stood there, keeping his gaze fixated on a nearby wall. He could hear the bed squeak slightly, with Daisuke's short breaths in his ears.

"H-How...bad am I?" Daisuke panted.

'I wish he wouldn't say things like that.' Dark twitched, his mind wandering. 'Now is not the time to think of those kinds of things!'

"Dark?" he called again.

The Fallen turned, seeing his vessel now curled up on his side, his back to him. The rash was bad, forming two oval shapes near his shoulder blades. The two lumps had grown slightly, looking like rounded triangles on the surface of the boys pale, glowing skin. He could actually feel the energy around him even outside Daisuke's body. It was strange going through another transformation. His own was painful and destructive, one of the violent Fallen transformations that nearly took out a city block with the amount of energy that he output. Being so close to Daisuke's was more...intoxicating. The energy flowing towards the small redhead was making the boy sluggish, almost like he was drunk despite the uncomfortable feeling coming from his backside. And Dark was feeling it, just not as strong.

A small knock at the door snapped Dark out of his stupor. Daisuke slowly looked towards the door, his eyes filling with dread. He whispered weakly. "I forgot about Mom..."

"Daisuke?" she called, turning the doorknob.

"D-Don't come in!" Daisuke called out. "Please."

The doorknob stopped turning, Emiko placing her hand on the door. "Alright Daisuke. But I think that we should have a talk."

'Not now!' he mentally whined, his eyes shut tight as he winced.

Dark took a moment to think, wondering how he could make this situation work. He looked at the boy, getting an idea. He grabbed the boys wrist, taking the boys hand in his, praying that this would work. Daisuke looked up when he felt the movement, looking confused at his others actions.

'What are you-'

'Just be quiet and focus on your body. I'm going to try something.'

Daisuke didn't have time to question the request and he focused, feeling his energy rush towards Dark in a blink of an eye, completely enveloping the soul. It wasn't even seconds as the energy returned to the boy, staring at a complete replica of himself, clothes and all. The other Daisuke shuddered at the change, smiling down at him.

'Dark?'

'It's still me. This won't last long. I just need enough time to get her to leave.' His own voice echoed back at him. It was weird, hearing his voice being played back at him.

The boy nodded, not moving an inch from where he was laying. Dark moved quickly to the door, opening it and looked up at Daisuke's mother, remaining rather stoic. Emiko raised an eyebrow, looking back at the boy at the door.

"Momma..." Dark said, his voice matching perfectly to the way Daisuke normally spoke.

"Hi huney." she said, looking through the crack. "May I come in?"

Dark shook his head. "Now isn't a good time Momma. I was going to head to bed really, really soon."

"I'm sorry sweetie. Did I interrupt you getting changed?"

'You could say that, yes.' Dark thought, giving her a small nod in response.

"Well, I'll let you get to sleep. Whatever is bothering you must still be making you upset. Whatever it was I shouldn't bug you for an answer. If you want to tell me I am always willing to hear."

"I'm sorry for yelling, Momma."

"I'm sorry too. You're a big boy now. But if it's okay with you, do you mind if I tuck you into bed?"

Dark shook his head again. "I just wanna sleep. I'll be okay."

"Well," she paused. "Can I at least get a goodnight hug?" She took a step back from the door, her arms outstretched.

Dark took a moment and slithered through the gap in the door and shut it quickly before she had the chance to look inside at her actual son. That was the last thing he wanted to happen. Dark looked at Daisuke's mother, slightly nervous but he still knew he had a role to play. He quickly went to her and she knelt down slightly for him to wrap his arms around her neck, hugging softly.

Emiko took the boy in her arms, squeezing slightly and then paused. Something didn't feel right while her son hugged her. She remained in the embrace for a few more moments before letting go of him and looked down at him, staring into his crimson eyes, as if looking for something.

'What is this feeling?' she thought to herself, patting his head. 'His hug felt...empty.'

Dark placed his hand on the doorknob. "Goodnight Momma."

Emiko leaned in, kissing Dark's forehead. "Night sweetie." she said, patting his head one more time before heading back down the hall towards the stairs. Once he made sure that she was far enough away he went back inside the bedroom, locking the door behind him.

"Phew- whoa!," he said out loud, his body quickly growing a foot and his red spiky hair falling back into the long purple locks that he was used to, his clothes changing back to his black attire. He looked up and moved some hair away from his face, clearing his throat. "That was an odd experience. Dai-?"

Dark looked up to see that the boys aura had grown around him. The boy was on his hands and knees on the mattress, the lumps underneath his skin had stretched significantly, moving underneath the layer, causing the child to moan in pain. The Fallen rushed back to the bed, his eyes wide and unsure of what to do. The redhead turn his head towards Dark, a red blush on his cheeks and tears falling from his face.

"Dark." Daisuke choked, his eyes glowing with the rings in the pupils.

"Oh Daisuke..." Dark muttered softly, sitting beside the boy. The energy he was emitting was strong, feeling like he was going to get swept away with it. He placed a hand on his lower back, trying to calm him,"Shhhh...it's okay."

Daisuke shuddered, beads of sweat on his brow as he gripped the sheets in his hands. The lumps continued to grow slowly, making the redhead bury his head into the mattress, groaning in discomfort. 'I'm going to die.'

"You know I won't allow that." Dark reassured him.

'When is this going to end? What's supposed to happen now?' Daisuke asked, his stomach doing a circus act and his mind clouded. 'This feels like I'm sick all over again.'

"Soon. It will be over soon."

"I'm s-scared." the redhead stammered, looking back at his other again.

"I know you are. Here."

Dark moved closer, helping Daisuke up as best as he could with the two protruding lumps on his back. The older of the two slipped around the other and was able to have the boy facing him. Tears continued rolled down Daisuke's face as Dark wrapped one arm around the boys middle, and placed a hand on the boys head, resting it back onto Dark's shoulder. It was an awkward and lewd position to be in at the moment, but now wasn't the time to think about that.

Daisuke took it as comfort, doing his best not to think about the changes. His aura seemed to encompass the both of them, a sphere of amber energy surrounding them. He gripped the others shirt, holding tight as he began to hear multiple popping sounds coming from his body and fill his ears.

Dark watched as the rash began to become more a dark red, a new layer of growth appearing on the surface of the skin. He could see a soft down of feathers quickly making its way around the base of the lumps, his vessels skin beginning to look like it was cracking like glass around the protrusions, shining with golden energy. Daisuke buried his face into Dark's chest, muffling his cries of agony.

"It's almost done, just a few more seconds." Dark said, his tone smooth and calm while he held the boy in his arms, closing his eyes as he heard Daisuke's mental cries echoing through him.

A sudden explosion of light erupted from his small frame, the force causing Daisuke to push closer towards Dark, knocking them both flat onto the mattress. Dark opened his eyes, astonished by the sight. Daisuke's aura had shrunk, only surrounded his frame. Flecks of golden energy floated in the air around them, like slivers of shattered glass. The Fallen looked down the boy on his chest, seeing a pair of ruby red wings outstretched, the tips of the feathers still lit with the golden energy. If he wasn't so caught up over the fact that his vessel was now splayed on top of him he would be fascinated on how gorgeous Daisuke's wings looked.

Daisuke went quiet, his chest heaving as the pain subsided for a few seconds. His body was slick with sweat, his face relaxed. He didn't notice where he was positioned, and for now it didn't matter. He felt a new sensation beginning to register in his brain, the pressure of something heavy on his back. He was so exhausted he didn't bother to look, not moving at all.

Dark was the first to stir, moving his hand to check the base of Daisuke's new appendages. He lifted some of the down with his fingers to see that the skin healed flawlessly. The simple touch made Daisuke twitch, his wing fluttering slightly. It was a strange sensation that the redhead was feeling, his brain racing to comprehend what had happened. He opened his eyes, looking up at Dark and realized that he was laying on top of the other, causing him to blush faintly.

"Can you feel this?" Dark asked, tracing his finger against a wing bone.

Daisuke's mind seized, shivering as the felt the touch. He gave a small nod, "Does it look really bad? Am I a monster?"

Dark smiled, wiping some of the child's hair that clung to his face. "On the contrary. You look fine. You're still you. Only now, you have wings."

Daisuke looked behind him, seeing one of the feathered objects coming into view, his eyes as big as saucers.

* * *

Takashi stirred, sitting at one of the chairs in Kouske's office. His eyes opened slowly, looking over to the desk. He felt something different in the air, making him slide out of his seat. He straightened his jacket, looking over to the man behind the computer monitors.

"Niwa-san." he called, walking over to the desk.

"Hmm?" Kouske grunted, looking over some paperwork that had been strewn over his desk.

"I sense something. Another Fallen."

Kouske snapped out of his work, straightening up in his seat. "A Fallen? Do you think it's Dark?"

Takashi shook his head. "I doubt it. It doesn't feel like his signature. It could be one of the enemy's spies. It's not in the city that's for sure."

The man folded his arms, leaning back into his seat. "If they're starting again, who knows what they have found."

"Niwa-san. Let me go out and investigate. I could be wrong. It's possible that it's Dark. I will have to leave and find out for myself."

"Saehara." Kouske said low, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you're wrong and you get ambushed..."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling it. Please. If there are any leads then we should go and check. We have to find out what this is- an enemy or Dark."

"I can't risk sending out anyone...you know that."

"And you know that I don't really have to listen to you. But I respect you Niwa-san. However, we haven't found a single thing since Dark's disappearance. It's a risk that I am willing to take."

Kouske sighed, shaking his head. "If something happens, or you find anything, you report back to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Saehara said flatly, giving a nonchalant salute. He turned, walking out the door, "I will go get prepared."

.o~End of Chapter 15~o.

Whoo! There! Another chapter finished! Daisuke has wings! What will happen in the near future? Who knows! Not me :3


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